


Untangled Love

by pinkanddirtyneon



Category: The Killers (Band), brandon flowers - Fandom
Genre: Band Fic, F/M, Smut, The Killers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-03-20 07:43:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 42,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18988288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkanddirtyneon/pseuds/pinkanddirtyneon
Summary: It's been ten years since Cara saw Brandon. Well, saw him in person. It's pretty hard to get over your ex when their face is on billboards and in magazines up and down the country.





	1. 2002

Cara sighed and slung a dishtowel over her shoulder, leaning on the bar and shutting her eyes in an attempt to block out the obnoxious customers in front of her for just a second.

Three more hours. Three more hours. Three more hours.

Plastering her customer service smile to her face again, she looked up at the leering man in front of her.

"What can I get you?"

"Beer," He grinned, "And your number."

"I don't have a phone," She smiled sweetly and slid his drink across the bar.

The man scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Bitch. You don't know what you're missing."

Cara nodded forlornly as she watched the man slip on a wet patch of the wooden floor on his way back to his table. His friends looked pissed that he'd only remembered to get one drink instead of a round.

"You'd turn that down?"

"I know right? I must be crazy."

Her fellow bartender, Marlon, snorted and shook his head. Cara watched him frown at his phone and swear.

"That fucking band cancelled again!" He grumbled, "I don't know why I bother. They think they're the shit."

Cara rubbed his shoulder supportively. Marlon had started working at the little bar in downtown Las Vegas around the same time as her, and had been doing everything in his power to support the dying music scene in the city. But some bands would rather get high in their garages than actually perform, and their boss was getting impatient.

"He'll make me hire a fucking DJ," He groaned, banging his head against the wall at the back of the bar, "How will I live with myself?"

"A DJ won't kill you," Cara snorted, "Besides, there will be other bands in this city. You'll find them. And maybe the next one won't be 2 pricks and a stoner."

Despite himself, Cara heard Marlon laugh as she walked out from behind the bar and over to the booths. She strategically avoided eye contact with the tables consisting of entirely men as she checked if anyone needed anything, scooping empty glasses onto her tray. It was getting to the point where she could recognise the regulars by their smell, or their drinks, or their typical white boy clothes. That's why she was surprised to find a booth occupied by three men she didn't find familiar.

"I'll be with you in a second," She smiled at the man on the end of the booth and he gave her a thumbs up.

Depositing the empty glasses behind the bar, she picked up a notepad and headed back to the newbies. As she passed a table of what could only be described as the worst people she had ever met (frat boys enjoying a weekend in sin city), she felt a sharp slap against her ass. She stopped in her tracks as laughter and hollering filled the air. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to see the sleazy face of the perpetrator staring down at her. He had clearly taken her stopping as a sign she was going to engage with him and had stood up expectantly.

As he opened his mouth to, no doubt, drop some pearl of romantic sentiment, Cara smacked her forehead into his nose. With a cry he fell to the floor, cupping the blood that streamed from his face while a couple of his friends dived down to check he was ok.

"What the fuck?" He yelled, glaring up at Cara.

"You let your slut waitresses assault customers?" Another piped up, this time at Marlon who was still staring down at his phone, no doubt on the hunt for a new band, "What are you going to do about this?"

"Oh I'm sorry," Marlon looked up with a raised eyebrow, "I didn't see anything. Did you slip on the floor? It's easily done."

Cara glanced over to see Marlon shoot her a warning look that told her he saw exactly what had happened. She'd had that warning before. As sympathetic as he was to the comments and actions Cara faced in her role, there was only so many customers he could tolerate the physical assault of. She shrugged at him and watched two other boys (or the original boy's clones, they all looked the same) support him out of the bar, indignantly slamming the door. Overdramatic. She raised an eyebrow at the two left standing in front of her.

"You really wanna try for yourself?"

They shared a look, scurrying out the door after their friends without a further word. Cara inhaled deeply before spinning on her heel and pushing her hair back. Her forehead hurt, but it was worth it.

"Alright, what can I get you guys?"

"Uh, four beers please," The curly haired one said.

"Four beers for three guys?"

"We're one short," The dark haired one piped up, "He's coming from work. Four beers and some ice in a dishtowel for your head."

Cara looked up from her pad with a raised eyebrow. The man smiled back at her. It was a nice smile, and one that suggested no danger. She relaxed and let out a small laugh.

"You don't want it to swell up."

"It's a battlefield," She smiled, "I wear my scars proudly. Tends to scare the rest."

"Count me scared," He laughed.

"Two scared," Said the curly haired one, and Cara saw the tall one nod in agreement.

\--

Cara examined her head in the mirror. It was a little red, but the ice towel had saved her an almighty bump, by the looks of things. She sighed and bundled her uniform of a black miniskirt and tank top into her bag, pulling closed the belt on her jeans and yanking a sweater over her head. The bar was closed, but she could still hear unfamiliar voices outside. Marlon must have made friends.

Sure enough, as she left the staff-only area, one booth remained filled - the three men from earlier, Marlon, and a new face.

"Cara!" Marlon beckoned her over, pulling her onto his knee in a bear hug as he tended to do when he had had a few drinks, "You fill me with fear and love."

She snickered and fought her way out of his arms, hopping onto the table beside them, "Good."

"Say hello to The Killers!"

"The what?"

"The Killers! wait... that's your name right?" Marlon frowned at the group of men.

"Sure is," The dark haired one said, "We're a band."

"Bold name," She nodded, "You don't look like killers."

"So maybe we should use you as our promotional image," He grinned as she laughed.

"You got me. So, I'll be hearing you tomorrow?"

"Sure will! I'm Ronnie, that's Mark, Dave, Brandon," He pointed at each one in turn.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"If you don't show up tomorrow night I will send her to your respective homes to headbutt each and every one of you," Marlon smirked.

"We will show up," Brandon said quietly but surely.

Cara's eyes met his and she nodded, "That's what they all say."

"They aren't 'all' serious," He said, "We're serious."

Despite looking like the kind of person who was never not on edge, there was a determination in the way he held her gaze. Cara held up her hands in defeat, smiling slightly at him. He smiled back softly, his fingers tugging at the label on his bottle.

Oh shit, she thought, he's cute.


	2. 2012

Cara's POV

Cara's whole life flashed before her eyes as she spotted the familiar nervous tapping of long slender fingers against the bar. Ten years. Two 'careers' and a failed marriage for her. Three (Four? Five? She had lost count) hit albums and a rediscovery of religion for him. The finger tapping was about all that was recognisable from this distance. His leather jacket and severe haircut couldn't have been more different than the baggy clothes and straggly hair he had a decade ago.

She cursed herself inwardly for thinking it would be ok to come back here. She hadn't set foot in this bar since the day their six month relationship had ended. Could it even be called a relationship? It brought up more raw emotion than when she thought of her marriage, anyway. 

"Cara!" 

She jumped out of her skin at the voice, even though it was coming from the opposite direction to her ex. 

"Marlon," She smiled warmly.

"Damn, are you wearing a suit?" He laughed as he released her from his hug, "Long gone is the dyed hair and ripped jeans I guess."

"Not exactly, I got straight on a plane after work, I have some ripped jeans in my bag."

Marlon smiled and indicated the staff-only door, even though he knew she remembered. He hadn't changed a bit. Well, maybe a bit. His facial hair was more refined and he had clearly learned how to cook for himself - he looked healthy and happy.

Cara took more time than necessary transforming herself from hotel manager to gig-ready. When she reemerged from the staff room, she made a beeline for the bar and ordered a jack and coke. She was going to need a couple of those before she'd have the courage to--

"Hey."

She froze with the glass halfway to her mouth. For way more time than was explainable. 

"Hi," She managed to choke out eventually.

"What are you doing here?"

Cara finally turned to face Brandon, the flame inside her smouldering at the implication he had more right to be here than her. 

"Supporting my friends. You?"

Brandon held her gaze, "Same." 

The silence felt wrong, as if one wrong word could set off a volcano of the things unsaid for a decade. Cara was about to speak when the room went dark, and a voice from the stage announced the name of the first performer of the evening. Brandon shot her a polite half-smile, but she felt his breath on her neck as he sighed - although whether that was in relief or disappointment she couldn't say. He mouthed a 'sorry' at her as he indicated the group she had seen him with earlier. In the tightly packed bar, she had to bend back to let him squeeze past her. He was fitter than he had been. She did her best to ignore the bulk of his shoulders and arms. As the fronts of their bodies brushed she questioned whether that volcano waiting to burst was truly one of anger. 

Well that's just great, she thought as she located Marlon in the crowd and began to move towards him, I either wanna fight him or fuck him. 

\--

Brandon's POV

Brandon let out a long whistle as he joined Ronnie and some of their friends to the right of the small stage. 

"Rough?" The drummer looked at him sympathetically.

Brandon nodded. He tried to focus on the act in front of them. A tall skinny guy with a guitar and a forgettable song. Not his kind of thing. His eyes wandered across the room until he saw her - leaning on a pillar looking every bit like she was enjoying their entertainment. Except he knew her well enough to see that she wasn't. Her eyes were glazed and she wasn't reacting to the music as she did when she was actually paying attention. 

Brandon shook himself out of his train of thought, overwhelmed by how quickly he remembered the quirks of a girl he had dated for mere months a decade ago. Get a grip.

The first act ended and Brandon clapped politely and briefly, his eyes wandering to the pillar. She was gone. Instead of making him relax, he found himself searching her out in the bustling crowd of people anxious to get a drink without missing anything. 

"Well if it ain't my favorite unstoppable animal," Marlon grinned, slapping Ronnie's hand and pulling him into a hug, "How you doing, Ron?"

Brandon tensed as Cara stepped out from behind him, shooting daggers into the back of Ronnie's head as he hugged and greeted her too. Ronnie caught his eye as he stood straight again and gave him a poignant look - one that shouted 'stop being a petty asshole'. He was right. Brandon tried to tune back into the pleasant conversation the others were having. 

"So you know one of the bands, huh?" Ronnie smiled at Cara, looking genuinely pleased to see her. He always did like her. 

"A singer," She replied, determinedly avoiding Brandon's eye (was he being paranoid?), "He's up next." 

Brandon held back an eye roll. Great, another mediocre singer with a guitar that he was going to have to pretend to like for the sake of politeness. 

"He's actually very talented."

Brandon looked up, and this time Cara was staring right back at him. So maybe his eye roll hadn't been held back very well, she looked defensive. He gave her a single nod as a man made his way to the stage. Ronnie let out a small laugh.

The lights lowered and Brandon was free to check out this 'very talented' musician in front of him. He was tall and scruffy, with long curly brown hair and a serious face. We'll see.

The man began to sing. Brandon ate his words. He was very talented. A deep, strong voice that Brandon could feel reverberate in his chest. And the more he listened, the more he realised the guy was a seriously good songwriter as well as vocalist. He stole a glance at Cara - who swayed gently in time with the song, a small smile on her face. She caught his eye and raised a defiant eyebrow. Fuck, I've missed that competitiveness -- he physically jolted himself out of that thought. That was a dangerous road to go down. He couldn't do that whirlwind again.

"Hey babe!" A familiar voice appeared at his side.

Cara turned her head and Ronnie winced. Oh yeah, Brandon thought, and I have a girlfriend.


	3. Runnin' Outta Luck

Brandon's POV

"Wasn't this supposed to be the year the world ended?"

"Brandon, you're Mormon. So not for you."

Brandon pouted across the kitchen island at Ronnie, who was pulling a divine looking lasagne out of the oven. 

"Besides, if it's all done between you two what have you got to worry about?"

"Oh I don't know, Ron," Brandon grumbled, "The fact that you have invited me and my girlfriend to dinner with you and my ex girlfriend?"

"You're so fucking dramatic, I invited Cara to catch up with me and introduce her singer friend, and currently you happen to be staying in my house. You and Holly could have gone out for the night."

"Bullshit."

Ronnie smirked, "I like her. She puts you in your place."

"Shut up. And it doesn't matter what you think of her, what about Holly?"

"I dislike Holly strongly."

"That's not what I meant!" Brandon whined, "I mean I don't wanna hurt her."

Ronnie raised an eyebrow, "What does that mean, exactly? How could you hurt her?"

Brandon blushed and flapped a hand at Ronnie, turning on his heel before he put his foot in it again. Seeing Cara had been... a shock to the system. He'd kind of forgotten what feeling that strongly for someone was like. He wasn't sure what he felt, he just knew he was really feeling something.

"How long has it been since you got some?"

"Ronald!" Brandon blushed even more.

"I'm asking as a concerned friend. How long has it been since you had good sex?"

Brandon held his head in his hands before muttering, "Just a couple of weeks. That's not that bad. We're busy people."

He tried to ignore Ronnie's snort.

"I said good sex."

He looked up. And thought. He couldn't remember the last time it had been anything but okay. It must have been good at some point.

"Uh..."

"Say no more," Ronnie said triumphantly, disappearing into the kitchen again.

Brandon jogged in after him making half hearted protest noises.

"I like her."

"I like Dave," Ronnie shot back, "Doesn't mean we'll spend the rest of our lives together."

Brandon was about to argue when the door clicked open and Holly walked through the door, hastily pecking his cheek before disappearing upstairs saying something about a dress she had bought from Armani. 

"Don't," He warned Ronnie, who kept his eyebrows raised but said nothing.

"We're compatible in other ways."

Ronnie laughed out loud, "I'm still waiting to see what those are."

Brandon huffed and began pacing the room. He'd been with Holly for three years. It wasn't perfect, but what was? It was by no means disastrous enough to make him throw it away for a chance with his ex of ten years ago. That would be nuts. He shook his head as if to banish even the notion. 

"Cara looked good though."

"I am not engaging."

"You're not engaging?" Ronnie echoed, "I am not a negative reviewer or a band you don't like, Brandon."

Brandon blushed again. His therapy for his insecurity was doing him the world of good, but he still felt self conscious when anyone drew more attention to it. Holly thought it was unnecessary. She said he was losing his 'edge' - whatever that meant. 

Ronnie sighed, "You do what you gotta do, man. I'm honestly just trying to help. But I don't know what's best for you."

Brandon was about to quietly admit that he valued his friend's opinion more than anyone else's in his life when the doorbell rang. 

\--

Cara's POV

Fuck, he's so annoyingly gorgeous. 

Cara stared at her empty plate of lasagne just to avoid catching sight of Brandon's cheekbones. When did that happen? What happened to his chubby face?

Ronnie and Andrew were in deep conversation about the gig - Ronnie full of admiration and Andrew full of humility. Holly, Brandon's 'girlfriend' (whom he had barely touched all night, Cara was trying not to notice) was on her phone. Brandon was staring at his wine glass, but his ears pricked at various points in the musician's conversation. 

"I caught most of the other acts," Andrew smiled at Cara as he drew her into the conversation, "We pretty much agreed the only other one worth seeing was Alex Cameron."

Brandon's jaw clenched slightly at the use of 'we' but he looked up and at Andrew when he finished his sentence.

"He's good, right?"

"Unbelievable," Andrew smiled, looking relieved that he had said something Brandon approved of. 

Andrew had nearly choked when Cara had reluctantly explained that she was familiar with The Killers and that they'd both been invited to Ronnie's house for dinner the following night. She thought he was going to have a stroke when she explained just how familiar with Brandon she was. He had since confided in her that he found Brandon incredibly intimidating - which had been pretty funny to her. She owned a photo of him standing in Minnie Mouse ears and looking flushed from a sugar rush from their trip to Disneyland. He'd thrown up in the car park. Sure, the leather jacket suggested 'intimidating', but it wasn't enough to erase that. The ears had held his hair out of his face.

"You particularly liked his third song, right?" Andrew asked Cara.

She nodded, "Haven't been able to get it out of my head."

Ronnie made an odd squeaking noise and Brandon's cheeks flushed slightly.

"I went to get a drink during that one," Holly contributed, glancing up from her phone, "He's alright, don't get me wrong. Just nothing special."

The table fell silent for a moment and Cara caught Ronnie sneak a glance at Brandon, who looked like he was deciding whether to speak or not.

"I co-wrote that one."

Cara blushed both with her admission that something Brandon had written had caught her attention (goddammit) and with the awkwardness of that situation. But Holly simply shrugged and went back to her phone.

"It's not your best, babe."

Ronnie coughed and caught Cara's eye, and they shared a look that asked one question: what the fuck?

Whether it was the wine or the return of some of her feisty energy from ten years ago she didn't know, but something in Cara snapped. 

"I guess even your worst is better than most people's best then."

"Uh..." Brandon stared at her, "I wouldn't say that."

"I would."

She held his gaze until he nodded then looked down at his glass again, but the sadness in his eyes when Holly had been unfazed by something he was proud of had left. That had to be something. As Cara reached for her own glass, she caught the murderous eyes of Holly. 

Oops.


	4. The Way It Was

Brandon's POV

Brandon had an answer to Ronnie's question. For the first time in a while (it couldn't be the first time ever, right?) he and Holly had good sex. She had practically dragged him upstairs after the dinner party, barely given him time to shut the door before she had pounced on him. What's more, between the dry period they'd had in the weeks before and the way she'd kept nibbling on his ear during the second half of the evening, he was grateful she'd touched him at all.

So why was he staring at the ceiling at 3am? 

Giving in to his body's demand for water, he reluctantly heaved himself out of bed. Holly groaned in protest but didn't move. He hoped he hadn't woken her up enough to be mad at him in the morning.

He'd stayed in Ronnie's house enough times to know exactly where he was going in the dark, but he could see a little light coming from the kitchen. The light above the stove - bright enough that he could see it, dim enough not to disturb anyone. Only three people in this house would have known where that switch was. Brandon, Ronnie (who he could hear snoring like a champ) and...

"Uh, hey."

"Morning."

Brandon didn't make eye contact with Cara as he walked into the room, searching immediately instead for a hoodie to pull over his bare torso. He cursed himself for not putting on a shirt. And then he cursed Ronnie for insisting Cara and Andrew spend the night instead of looking for a motel. 

When he finally met her eye she smiled a little. 

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope."

"Me neither."

Her eyes flicked back to her laptop screen perched on the counter in front of her, and Brandon allowed himself to take her in. She was wearing one of Ronnie's shirts and the way she had curled her legs onto the stool meant it covered pretty much her whole body. Her hair was piled on top of her head and was much shorter than it had been ten years ago. It suited her. Her face had the same signs of ageing that his did. But she had changed. She looked content. In control. 

Goddammit, he sighed inwardly, Ronnie was right. She did look good.

She looked back at him and he jolted his head away way too obviously. She shut her laptop screen and turned in her chair to face him. Her legs dangled in front of her with Ronnie's shirt now riding halfway up her thigh. He did his best not to look; for his own good. The jeans she'd worn at the gig had almost been too much. 

"So. England worked out."

Brandon frowned at her. He hadn't expected that.

"Uh, yeah," He giggled eventually, and noticed her smile in response, "It definitely worked out."

"I'm glad."

"Are you?" 

Now she was frowning - she hadn't expected that.

"Of course I am. I never wanted anything but success for you."

"But I left," He said quietly, feeling a blush return to his cheeks, "I just walked away."

Cara let out a sigh. Like she used to do to give herself time to give a measured response. Or before headbutting someone. He couldn't read the emotion on her face and wondered for the first time if all this was just as weird for her as it was for him. 

"Yeah," She said eventually, "You did what you had to do."

Brandon's emotions flared. He didn't know if he wanted her to be mad at him. But he wanted her to feel something about what had happened. Relationships shouldn't just disappear like a snuffed candle. 

"I thought you'd wait." 

"You didn't ask me to wait," She snapped.

Her voice was a little louder now, and he could tell he was one wrong word away from a full blown fight. Did he want a fight?

"I didn't think I had to ask." 

"And I didn't think you'd fuck off for two years without more than a couple of hours notice, but here we are."

Brandon opened his mouth to excuse the behaviour of his oblivious 20-something year old self when he saw Holly on the stairs. 

"You two dated?"

\--

Cara's POV

Cara listened to her feet pound against the tarmac. Her discarded earbuds whacked against her thigh where they were starting to slip out of the teeny tiny pockets they put in women's shorts. Useful.

She didn't want to go for a run, but she couldn't quite face a nice pleasant breakfast with two people she'd heard fuck last night. Well, mostly one person she'd heard. Holly sure as hell was loud. Was she that loud with Brandon? She couldn't remember. He was definitely louder with her than Holly...

"Oh my god, gross," She said out loud, "Stop."

As she hit the curve of the road that was bringing her back into the city, she considered her conversation with Brandon. He'd been trying to provoke her, she knew that. Although she couldn't figure out what he was trying to provoke. Tears were what was bubbling, but he'd never be that cruel. He must have wanted anger. Maybe regret.

She had felt both of those things. She had been mad the day he turned up at her work and said the band had got a record deal in England and they were leaving later that day. For how long? He didn't know. Where in England? He didn't know that either. 

But her anger subsided because she could see in his eyes how big a deal this was. He was so excited. And she would never have stood in the way of that.

She had been upset. That was what she realised eventually, when she had some time to process what was happening. The real anger came later, when she started seeing what came with Brandon's success. Pictures of him, usually drunk, with girls hanging off his arms. Different ones every time. 

Cara wasn't the mistrusting type. She was capable of shrugging that off, she had no reason to suspect Brandon would hurt her. 

And then, after three months of them trying to contact each other but always missing the other's call, she got through. She knew it had been the early hours of the morning in England. She had just really needed to hear his voice. 

Except the first voice she heard was female, and while she tried to get over that surprise she heard a groggy, drunk Brandon in the background telling the girl to hang up the phone.


	5. Your Heart's In The Right Place

Cara's POV

"Ok so we'll deal with Mr Marcona's qualms with the pool later, he's out at a conference all day anyway so there's no rush on that," Cara sighed, shaking her head at the third complaint that particular guest had lodged about the pool.

His issue was that there were children in the pool. She hadn't told him that she knew he meant his own kids. They'd been the only ones using it last night. And that it wasn't a private pool. But saying 'I'll look into it, sir' made men like him feel heard and placated, so that's what she did. 

"Did he consider not having kids if he hates them so much?" Tony grimaced.

"Let's not even go there. Any VIPs checking in this week?"

"None that I'm aware of," Tony flipped through tabs on his iPad, waving to the morning receptionists as they yawned their way through the staff door.

Cara smiled. They were a nice bunch, her coworkers. She had very few issues. It made the whole big promotion thing easier when she knew it was them 'against' the guests and not internal rivalries. 'For' the guests, if the owners asked. But a lot of the time it was a battle. The nice guests were quiet, the complainers were loud. You got used to it.

"Alright. Eyes peeled in case we have any newbies. I'll check the alias list again to be sure." 

Tony saluted her jokingly and hopped up from his seat, straightening his suit ready to face the delightful public again. His title was assistant manager, but they both knew it was a two manager job. Their pay wasn't even that different. 

"Oh, and Cara?"

"Yep?"

"Don't stand him up, ok?" Tony raised an eyebrow, "Hate him if you decide to but please go on the date so I don't have to face the embarrassment."

Cara laughed and nodded. Tony and his wife had set her up on a blind date with their yoga instructor (oh my god). She liked them too much to say no, even though her hopes weren't high. He was meeting her at reception when her shift finished this evening for dinner. 

She passed the day relatively quickly, dealing with minor issues and prepping the staff for a surge in restaurant and facilities use for the concert in Madison Square Garden at the weekend. They were booked solid and had been fielding calls from people eager to book last minute rooms. This happened every time there was a gig, artists tended to stay at one of three hotels in the area, and this was one of them. People wanted to see their heroes.

Since she had the day off the following day and would be returning to the chaos in full swing, Cara decided to take a moment to check out their presidential suite. Even that one was booked for the gig. She checked the system for the guest's name - just to be prepared in case they did happen to be the chosen one for this artist. It was an alias, she was sure, but most who booked expensive suites used an alias. 

Vincent Lauria, she frowned, why does that sound familiar?

\--

Brandon's POV

"Are we there yet?"

"David I am going to shove this drumstick through your skull."

Brandon smirked as his bandmates bickered across their bunks. Mark rolled his eyes. 

"I'm just asking."

"If we were there the bus wouldn't be fucking moving would it?"

"I can't believe we're driving to New York City," Dave shot a pointed look at Brandon, "We could have flown."

"Shut up Dave," Ronnie sighed, "This gig is a big deal. We all have to be comfortable."

Brandon gave the drummer a half-smile of gratitude. His phone vibrated violently under his back, spooking Brandon into an upright position. He cursed as his head smacked the empty bunk above him. Dave laughed way louder than necessary. 

"You gonna get that?" Mark asked, his eyes peeping over his book. 

"It's not urgent."

It was Holly. Again. They'd spoken less than three hours ago. Well, she'd spoken three hours ago. He could have hung up the phone and she wouldn't have noticed. 

Was it bad that he was relieved to be on the road again? Not just for the performing and the rush, but to get some peace in his mind. Holly had been hounding him about his therapy and his anxiety medication, telling him artists didn't have any 'vibe' when they weren't tortured. 

Ronnie said it was because she wanted to be able to own him. He hadn't asked her to marry him and so she was trying to keep him from bettering himself, so he wouldn't realise he could find someone better than her. 

He glanced at Ronnie, who looked at him sympathetically. How he knew what Brandon was thinking about was unclear. He just always knew.

"Have you spoken to Cara?" An unknown voice said. 

Shit, Brandon realised, that was me

Ronnie faltered. 

"Uh, like once," He said slowly, "A couple of months back. Andrew was playing in California and I wanted to catch the gig. She hooked me up." 

Brandon didn't react. He didn't even know why he'd asked. It had been almost 6 months since their strange and awkward reunion in Vegas. Cara had disappeared back to her job. And he only thought about her like... once a day. He was fine. 

"Should I... contact her?" Ronnie asked.

"No." 

"Ok. Let me know if you change your mind."

"Ron, I have nothing to say. And if I did, I would say it for myself."

"Uh huh," Ronnie smiled, "And how would you do that?"

"I would... I would find her somehow," Brandon frowned, "I would ask you! I would get her number from you and I would call her."

Ronnie laughed out loud at his friend's dumb proud face.

"I wouldn't give it to you."

"Why?!"

"Because she deserves more than a phone call." 

Brandon blushed and rolled over in his bed. Ronnie had pushed him to make more of an effort to call her when they were in England. But there just hadn't been time. It was crazy! Anytime he tried to call her she was busy. Likewise when she called him. And anyway, he was going to arrive home like a hero and sweep her off her feet and into the lap of luxury. It would be such a nice surprise. 

But when he eventually had gotten around to calling her back after their most recent missed call, her phone was disconnected. He called the bar and they'd said she moved away. Four months ago. It hadn't been four months since he'd tried, he was sure. And yet it was. Marlon, Ronnie, and his calendar all told him that.


	6. Miss Atomic Bomb

Cara's POV

Cara kept her head down as she walked through the lobby, desperate to keep her last hour of freedom to herself. Difficult guests seemed to sense that she was the manager and ruin her personal time. She slipped into the gym and leant against the door with a sigh of relief. Only one other person. And she didn't recognise him. Heaven. 

As she stepped onto the treadmill, the door swung open again. 

"YOU!" 

Cara laughed, edging the machine up to a pace that was just uncomfortable enough to be good for her. 

"Hey Em." 

"You were supposed to call me first thing! How was your date?"

Her roommate, Emeline walked straight past the workout equipment and sat on the windowsill in front of Cara. She obviously wasn't here to work out. 

"It was alright."

Em raised an eyebrow, "You didn't come home for 'alright'?" 

Cara blushed, "Uh yeah. That bit was better than the date. Mainly because he stopped talking." 

Her friend laughed and nodded knowingly. Dating was a battlefield. But her eyes turned sympathetic. 

Damn it, Cara thought, stop reading my mind.

Emeline had a habit of seeing right through Cara. She could read her better than anyone Cara had ever known. Well, almost anyone. They'd lived together for 3 years back when Cara first moved to the city, and she had graciously welcomed Cara back into their tiny apartment when her marriage ended. 

"Well I think you should call him." 

"You have only ever seen pictures of him on google. You can't have an opinion on him."

"True," Em admitted, raising her hands in defence, "But you saw him for three days and have been unable to look at another man since."

"Did I not go home with another man last night?" Cara huffed, partly in protest, partly because her legs were starting to burn.

"What was his name?"

"Uh... Jackson."

"It was Harvey," Em said, satisfied she'd proved her point, "You're like a nature documentary. Out to mate and then disappeared back into the wilderness." 

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all! Except it's not what you want."

Cara sighed at her friend. She was good at bottling emotions, but Em was right. Seeing Brandon again had been affecting her for an irritatingly long time. It had been nearly 6 months, for crying out loud. The duration of their whole fucking relationship.

"I told you, he's got a girlfriend. Probably a fiancé, soon."

"And that's the only thing stopping you?"

Cara brought the treadmill to a gradual halt. With her hands on her hips, she looked at Em. She willed herself to open up. 

"I can't take him from her, Emeline. I know how much that hurts. I wouldn't even try."

Em frowned and tapped her foot against the treadmill. 

"Cara, you still don't know who that girl was--"

"She answered his phone at 3 am and he drunkenly told her to hang up. That's all I need to know."

"It was ten years ago. He was drunk and living a life totally different to everything he was used to."

"Yep, but it still fucking hurt. Even if he was to break up with his girlfriend, I couldn't go through that again." 

"Excuse me," A voice cut through Cara's quiet, earnest revelations, "But are you the manager?"

Em stifled a giggle. Cara sucked in a quiet breath and tried not to swear. Turning around, she put on her customer service smile. It was the man who had been her only gym buddy that day. 

"I am indeed. How can I help?"

\--

Brandon's POV

"The manager is going to let the receptionists know to send the vultures up in accordance with the schedule," Jeremy, the band's longtime tour manager called from the doorway.

Brandon snorted at Jeremy's choice of description. He was glad he wasn't the only one dreading this.

He examined his face in the mirror of his room for the hundredth time. In comparison to this, shows were nothing. He was in control when they performed. The fans liked them - that's why they were there. Journalists, however? Who knew. 

"Hey buddy," Ronnie popped his head around the door, "You good? You want a nectarine?"

Brandon giggled appreciatively but shook his head.

"If I eat, I'll vomit."

"Suit yourself. We're up in 30 minutes, you should come and get mic'd."

Brandon followed the drummer out of the room, tugging on the end of his t-shirt nervously. It was just him and Ronnie today, Mark and Dave were 'otherwise occupied' (hungover) in the suite next door. He hoped the journalists wouldn't hear them snoring. 

A careful knock on the door made him jump out of his skin. Jeremy frowned at his watch. It wasn't time. Brandon listened through the thin wall separating the hall and the living space as someone clipped his mic into place. 

"Guys," Jeremy's head appeared around the wall, "It's the manager. Mind if she asks you something?"

They both shrugged.

The clicking of heels on the wooden floors of the hallway softened as the manager rounded the corner of the carpeted living space. Brandon's heart fell out of his chest. 

"Cara?"

Cara's eyes widened as she saw him. Her face flushed and for a second she lost the all-business exterior she was sporting and looked genuinely terrified. 

"Brandon! Ronnie! Holy shit!"

Ronnie let out what could only be described as a squeal of delight. He ran across the room and scooped Cara into a bear hug. Brandon winced. But not from jealousy. He was sure. Just awkwardness. Why would he be jealous?

"Uh ok," Jeremy frowned, "It's clear you all know each other, but um, interviews start in 20 minutes so can we wrap this up?"

"Of course, my apologies Mr Bates," Cara said in what Brandon recognised as her customer service voice, "I am actually here on business. I had no idea the band you managed were The Killers."

She winked at Ronnie who looked in awe of this bizarre apparition who looked like Cara but talked like... someone with an actual real-life job. Brandon wanted to dissolve into the floor. 

"One of our luxury event rooms is vacant for the rest of the day. I wondered if you might like to use it instead of your suite? I don't mean to uproot you at this stage in your planning, but it does come with complimentary security, and your manager had mentioned that occasionally some of the um, vultures? Was it? Can overstay their welcome. We would be happy to deal with that for you. Free of charge, of course."

Cara finished her offer with a warm smile to Jeremy. 

Fucking hell. My ex girlfriend is actually the manager of this hotel. The manager of this hotel is my ex girlfriend.

Brandon snapped himself out of his thoughts. He hoped he'd been listening properly. 

"That sounds good. We appreciate it."

Ronnie raised his eyebrows, "Awesome, Cara. Is this favoritism or what?"

Cara sighed and flapped her hands, her frame relaxing and making her more familiar again. She let out a chuckle.

"I don't know who I expected Vincent Lauria to be but..." She looked back to Brandon, gesturing at his Vince t-shirt, "Everything has just now clicked into place."

Brandon blushed, "The Color of Money."

"Of course. Well, gentlemen, let me show you what we can offer."

The team followed Cara. Brandon was trying his hardest to ignore how tight her black pencil skirt was as she led them through a carded door and introduced them to two burly looking security men. 

"I hope you find the facilities workable," Cara smiled as she held the door open, "Do call us if you need anything."

"We're gonna need food after this," Ronnie said thoughtfully, flopping onto an expensive looking leather sofa. 

"We do have a variety of vegan options on our room service menu."

"No," Ronnie sat up, "We're planning on hitting a restaurant I've heard so much about in the city! You should come!"


	7. Maybe We Just Drifted Apart

Brandon's POV

This was one too many nights of just staring at the ceiling. Brandon groaned out loud and got out of bed. It was 2am.

They had called it a night when the clock struck 12. The food had been awesome, and fortunately (was it fortunate?) he had barely had the chance to talk to Cara. Between the band and the crew, they had ended up pretty far away from each other at the table. She and Mark had looked pretty absorbed in conversation for most of the meal.

While some of the crew and Dave headed to a bar, the rest made their way back to the hotel. Except Cara, who had disappeared into a subway station after an uncomfortable goodbye. 

Brandon wandered into the living room and flopped onto the sofa. He was about to turn on the TV when he spotted a phone on the coffee table. Ronnie's. 

Before he knew what he was doing, he'd unlocked the phone (his password was 6969, had been since the day they met) and was scrolling through his friend's contacts. 

He listened to the dial tone, aware that Cara systematically put her phone on do not disturb when she was sleeping - nothing got between that woman and her bed. 

"Ron?" 

She had picked up her phone immediately. And her voice was crystal clear. She hadn't been sleeping either. 

"Hello? Ronnie? You ok?"

"Uh," Brandon stuttered, his mind drawing a blank now that she had actually picked up, "Hi."

"Brandon?"

"Yeah. I uh, I--"

Cara paused, filling in the silence when he ran out of words, "Is everything ok? Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. I don't know why I called."

He heard her sigh. A door clicked closed.

"Shit, am I interrupting something? I shouldn't have called I'm so sor--"

"Brandon," She laughed, "Deep breath. My room is right next to my roommate's. I don't wanna wake her so I moved into the kitchen."

"Oh."

"Another sleepless night, huh?"

He smiled slightly. Fucking hell. His whole body had relaxed just hearing her voice. In that moment he couldn't help himself. He missed her so much. He had so much to say. But this wasn't the right way to say it.

"Can I come over?"

\--

Cara's POV

"This is the dumbest idea I've ever had in my life."

"It wasn't your idea! He asked!"

"I said yes! Why did I say yes? Why did I give him my address?"

Emeline rubbed her eyes and lay back down in her bed. Reaching over to her bedside table she held up a pair of earplugs. 

"I'll put these in, don't worry about waking me again."

"Emeline!" Cara snorted, "He's not-- I'm not-- We wouldn't--"

Em raised an eyebrow, "I meant your voices. Your talking voices. But good to know where your mind is." 

Cara blushed and opened her mouth to reply when there was a gentle knock on the door. Emeline squeaked in delight and pushed Cara out into the hallway. Cara had no doubt she'd be listening to hear what was about to happen. Whatever the fuck was about to happen.

She looked down at her outfit. Should she have made more of an effort? No. That would have been weirder. Why would she care what he thought? 

Finally opening the door, Cara held back a gasp. It was like seeing Brandon for the first time in ten years all over again. His hair was free of its gel confines and was sticking up at odd angles like he'd just gotten out of bed. He'd ditched the leather jacket for a zip up hoodie and the tailored pants for sweatpants. He looked bashful, instead of the coolness he'd been exuding recently. He looked like the boy she remembered. 

"Hey," He said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Brandon, I said it was fine for you to come, you don't need to apologise--"

"No."

He stepped inside, pacing the tiles of her kitchen as she shut the door and wrapped her long cardigan tighter around her body.

"I'm sorry for what happened. I should have called you. I was selfish and stupid and way drunk on my own success. And literally drunk, most of the time. You deserved so much better."

He inhaled for the first time, his eyes scanning her face nervously. 

"That's what you're sorry for?"

He frowned. How could he miss the biggest issue? Her anger from ten years ago flooded into her chest.

"You didn't just not make the effort to call, Brandon. We both did that. I don't care about that. But when a girl picked up your phone, that was harder to ignore."

Brandon's frown deepened, "What are you talking about?"

"I heard you in the background! You told her to hang up!"

She didn't know if it was tiredness or just the overwhelming nature of the topic but Cara felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Brandon's face hardened but he seemed to falter when he realised she was crying.

"Cara..." He said softly, his face twisting, "I never would have cheated on you."

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her cheeks, her face flushing in embarrassment at her outburst of emotion.

"I'm serious, baby, I would never do that--"

Brandon's eyes widened when he realised what he'd said. Cara turned away, her heart fluttering at the cliched pet name she hated to admit she'd missed hearing.

"So why was she answering your phone in the early hours of the morning? Why were you slurring your words in the background?"

"I-- I don't-- Cara, I have no idea. I have no memory of that. I didn't even see the call. There would have been girls at the parties but I never would have even considered--"

Cara turned back around to face him. He looked genuinely devastated. She believed him. She had no idea why she still trusted him, but she just knew he was telling the truth.

"I swear to god, Brandon, if you are lying to me right now," She said quietly.

"I am not lying. I couldn't lie to you. What would I gain by lying now? It's been ten years."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Her heart hurt. She thought about where they could have been if he had called her back sooner. If she hadn't left. 

Cara glanced at the man beside her. He was staring at the painting on their kitchen wall. His hand wasn't fidgeting the way it always did. In his tiredness, emotionally and physically, she could still see that baby-faced boy who had stolen her heart in a seedy bar in Las Vegas. Despite his cheekbones and tanned skin. 

"You need to go."

"Yeah."

Neither of them moved. 

"I'm sorry too."

"I know."


	8. The Question of My Heart Came To My Mind

Brandon's POV

Brandon held the door for Cara as they walked into the hotel. She mumbled a thanks before disappearing through a door behind the reception desk. She'd barely looked him in the eye all morning. He smiled politely at the receptionists' curious faces. 

Once safely inside the empty elevator, he let out a long sigh. He was exhausted. Mentally and physically. Thankfully, they had a free day today before their show tomorrow. He was going to climb into bed and only emerge for dinner. 

The elevator pinged to signal its arrival and Brandon tried to clear his thoughts. If he started overthinking things he'd never get any sleep. 

"See!" Ronnie's voice called from their suite door, "Here he is!"

Brandon frowned, he had texted Ronnie to say he would be back in an hour. Why was he speaking so loud? He examined his friend's face. His eyes were wide and his smile was toothier than normal. 

"Brandon, honey!" A voice called.

He stopped dead in the corridor. Ronnie raised his eyebrows apologetically. 

"Holly?"

"Hey gorgeous!" His girlfriend said, appearing through the doorway before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him way more than he was comfortable with in company. 

"Uh..."

"Surprise!" She laughed, "Although it would have been a better surprise if you'd been here when I arrived!" 

Fuck.

"Don't worry," Ronnie smiled as they moved inside, "I told her about your morning run. We've been catching up."

Brandon caught Ronnie's eye and shot him a thankful look. His friend could barely stand to be in the same room as Holly when he was there. He had no idea how he'd managed on his own. 

"Why are you here?"

Holly frowned, "I thought you'd be happy to see me. I wanted to support your big gig at Madeline Garden."

"Madison Square Gardens," Brandon frowned back, "Really?"

"Yes, really!"

Holly had never once made a big deal out of his shows. Even ones he was excited about she tended to listen politely to his giddiness before telling him about something her friends were doing that was so much more romantic than anything they ever did. She was very competitive like that. 

"But anyway I'm sure you guys are busy today, getting ready," Holly said, moving towards the door, "I'm meeting some friends in the bar! Jonathan and Mags just got engaged. He proposed in the most romantic way, Brandon. I'll tell you about it later."

There it is.

Holly waved her goodbyes and the door clicked shut behind her. 

"Dude," Ronnie started, "It is not like you to disappear in the middle of the night. You should have told me. When Holly's voice woke me up I thought I'd died and gone to hell."

Brandon shot his friend a look and hopped onto the kitchen island. 

"Sorry. I went to-"

"See Cara," Ronnie finished, holding up his phone, "I know. Maybe use your own next time."

"Didn't have her number."

"It's ok. Why'd you go? In the middle of the night?"

"I had to apologise."

"Brandon she's not Green Day," Ronnie raised his eyebrows again, "This isn't something you can just put right overnight."

"But I kinda did," Brandon frowned, "We kinda did. She thought I cheated on her all those years ago."

Ronnie nodded.

"Wait, that doesn't surprise you?"

"No, you idiot," Ronnie sighed, "You left, didn't make an effort to stay in touch, and had your drunk face plastered all over every magazine in the country. And were usually surrounded by beautiful models."

Brandon winced. He remembered only certain parts of the tour, obviously. Only stuff he wanted to remember or had considered important. He had been so selfish.

"She said some girl answered my phone in the middle of the night and I told her to hang up."

"Fuck. That's bad. Did you ever-"

"No, oh my gosh, Ronnie," Brandon whined, "I would never. I have no idea what that was. And probably never will."

"Yeah," Ronnie said quietly, "You'll both just have to get past it. Or past each other."

Brandon turned away, making himself a coffee even though he was about to go to bed. He didn't know how to tell Ronnie that there was no way he was getting past Cara. He'd slept on the couch in her room because that's the furthest either of them had wanted to be from each other last night. And the closest they could be in their current circumstances.

\--

Cara's POV

"Who was the cute guy?"

Cara looked up blearily to see the eager face of Cassie, one of her receptionists, at the door. She thought she should be embarrassed to be caught with her head against her desk, but she was too tired to care. 

"No one. How's it been this morning?"

"Couple of check ins. One girl arrived to surprise her boyfriend but his name wasn't in the system."

"Yeesh," Cara sighed, getting out of her chair and ready to do some actual work, "Awkward. Did she figure out she was in the wrong place or something?"

Cassie shook her head, "She called someone. Found out he was booked under another name."

Cara's blood ran cold.

"Vincent Lauria?"

"That's the guy!"

"For fuck's sake."

"Uh, what?"

"Nothing, Cassie," Cara waved her hand, "Sorry. Tired. I'll be out in a moment."

Cassie looked at her carefully before shutting the door. She must have looked as bad as she felt at that news. So Holly was here. In her hotel. That's just fan-fucking-tastic.

Cara grumbled a series of expletives under her breath as she scooped up her papers for the bartenders they were interviewing today. Making her way to the bar, she sighed in relief that she wouldn't be able to see the lobby. She would have been on the lookout all day. 

She could still hear Brandon's light snores from the couch in her room. She hadn't had the will to make him leave, and if she was being honest she really didn't want him to. Despite everything, all she had wanted was for him to wrap his arms around her and tell her it would be ok.

Which he did. Willingly. Without her asking. He had stood up from his chair in her kitchen, walked over to her and pulled her into the most comforting hug she had ever had in her life. He had stroked her hair and whispered that it was gonna be ok. And she had clung onto his hoodie and whispered that she was so relieved to see him again. 

When she took his hand and led him into her room she had a moment of panic that he would misunderstand, but he had simply helped her clear her clothes off the couch and silently accepted the blanket she gave him. 

Cara winced as her shoulder pushed the door to the bar open. She had slept at a weird angle. She scanned the room, thankful for very few customers so they could have free range to let their applicants show off their skills in a relatively calm environment. 

But there was one pair of eyes she didn't miss. Holly shot her a smile and raised her glass in greeting. 

Motherfucker.


	9. The Say I'll Adjust

Cara's POV

Cara wound a loose thread in her jacket around her finger as she waited in line for a bagel. She was antsy. Knowing Brandon was in the same building as her for a lot of the day was kind of overwhelming. Knowing he'd slept in her room nearly 48 hours ago made her want to pass out. Knowing his girlfriend was now also in the building made her want to throw her desk chair at a wall. It was exhausting.

She'd gotten to the point of making herself busy purely to stop thinking that while they were up there they were probably having sex. She knew it was pathetic but she couldn't help it. 

Stepping into the street with her lunch in her hand, Cara breathed in the dirty city air. It had been a lot to get used to. Vegas was a city, sure, but not... like this. She kind of wanted to drive into the desert and watch the dust swirl up behind her car - the city vanishing into its abyss. 

Park. That was the closest she could get to the desert here. She made a beeline for Central Park. Right as she walked through the gate, she thought to check her phone. Fuck. Her lunch hour was nearly up. Turning on the spot reluctantly, her face met a solid surface.

"Shit, sorry babe!"

"Ronnie?" Cara sputtered, checking her bagel had survived the collision, "Uh... Are you following me?"

"Yes," Ronnie chuckled pleasantly, "Sorry. I wanted to talk to you for a second without prying eyes."

Cara frowned but nodded, indicating a bench on the edge of the park. They sat in silence for a moment, aside from the rumbling of her stomach.

"How do you live here?" Ronnie teased, "You know you're a Vegas girl at heart."

"Just because I stripped for a summer doesn't make me a Vegas girl, Vannucci."

"That is not what I meant, but it does add to my point so I'll allow it."

She laughed.

"You stalked me during my only peaceful moment in the day to question my life decisions?"

"No," Ronnie smiled, "But I am curious. And I've missed chatting with you."

Cara smiled back. The feeling was mutual. He knew that. 

"I followed you to give you this."

Ronnie slid his hand into his denim jacket and pulled out an envelope. He waved it in front of Cara's confused face, before tucking it between her hand and the paper wrapped sandwich it was clutching.

"You deserve to see how far we've come. If you want to," Ronnie continued, "I think he's actually starting to believe he has a right to be up there."

Cara nodded, not needing to open the envelope to know what Ronnie had given her. She'd almost forgotten that's what Brandon did now. He'd made his dream come true. 

And she sure as hell wanted to see that.

\--

Brandon's POV

"You did what?" Brandon hissed at Ronnie, blushing furiously.

"Dude, I didn't know you'd see her! This is a big fucking venue! I can't help it that you two have this magnetism--"

"Do not start that," He raised a hand.

He'd spotted his ex during their third song of the night. The Way It Was. Of fucking course it would be that song. Her green eyes had stopped him dead in his tracks. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her for too long since. 

"I forgot my own lyrics, oh my gosh," Brandon whined, "That's so embarrassing." 

He didn't know if he was mad or grateful that Ronnie hadn't told him. In fact, he didn't know if he was mad or grateful that Ronnie had invited her at all. She had visibly been enjoying the show. And it was nice to see a supportive figure in the crowd. He just wished it wasn't quite such an alluring figure. 

"Suck it up," Dave rolled his eyes, "And for the love of god if you're gonna fuck her do it soon. You haven't moped so much since Hot Fuss. I hate it."

"Not helping, David," Ronnie said, but he couldn't hold back a laugh. 

Brandon's head snapped up suddenly.

"I can't sing Somebody Told Me."

"You fucking can," Dave snorted, "You have to."

Brandon blushed furiously, "I just... I can't explain. But I can't sing that one."

"Fuck off!" 

Ronnie rolled his eyes. Dave was in the 'swearing constantly' phase of drunkenness. But he was right. That was the one that got the audience revved up for the second half of the show. They had to do it.

"Brandon, we aren't changing the setlist. Regardless of any... history."

Brandon looked at him gratefully for not revealing to the others that it was during their performance of Somebody Told Me that night in Cara's bar ten years ago that he knew she was going home with him that night. And his mind wandering down that particular path was something that would not help his concentration. He couldn't look at her while they performed that. He wasn't ready to see her reaction. He would already have trouble trying to push her 'fuck me' eyes to the back of his mind.

Brandon bounded through the corridors backstage, thumping his own shoulders to hype himself up. This was Madison Square Gardens. This was important. He couldn't screw this up. 

Ronnie shot him a questioning thumbs up as they heard the roar of the crowd surge through the open doors. Brandon nodded. He glanced into the audience. Well, he honed in on one particular member of the audience. She was smiling and chatting with her friend in the same place she had been earlier. At the barrier. Almost touching distance.

He realised he wanted to put on as good a show for her as he did for the other 20,000 people combined. He wanted to make an impression. It was just like it had been for the audience of 50 and the pretty barmaid all those years ago. 

He took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage.


	10. Come Hell or High Water

Cara's POV

Cara shuffled nervously from one foot to the other, already regretting accepting an invite from Ronnie (via a security guard) backstage. Em looked positively ecstatic. She was pretty drunk. Cara, however, hadn't managed more than a couple of drinks before they got there. She didn't trust herself to be drunk around Brandon. 

As if on cue, the object of her thoughts walked through the door. He was dripping with sweat, his short sleeve black shirt clinging to every detail of his chest and stomach. And suddenly she was thirsty.

He. Is. Spoken. For. She reminded herself sternly, and forced herself to tear her eyes off his chest and up to his face. He was looking at her. Shit.

But then, he had made eye contact with her more than a couple of times during the performance...

"Hey sexy," Holly's over chirpy voice grated on Cara's ears. 

She reminded herself that Holly was not her enemy. Just another girl who happened to find Brandon very attractive. Join the club. Just another girl who had managed to catch his eye and keep it. And done a better job of that than Cara. 

Forcing a smile onto her face she nodded at Holly, who looked her in the eye before jumping - like, literally jumping - onto Brandon. Her legs curled around his waist and his hands flew to her thighs to keep her up. Cara looked away, but the sounds suggested she was currently trying to choke Brandon to death with her tongue. 

"Oh well isn't that just delightful," Dave muttered disapprovingly, "Come in here."

Cara snorted and did as he said, walking through into the attached dressing room with Em following close behind. Dave shut the door behind them. Her heart was aching. She was pretending it was the exertion from dancing at the show.

"I thought you said he was a moaner," Em slurred, "I didn't hear any moaning."

Cara gawped at her friend's drunken outburst. Dave raised an eyebrow. 

"I think he's probably busy fighting for air," Mark said, lifting his head only slightly from where he was laying on a couch, "The moaning usually comes later."

\--

Brandon's POV

He was mad at Holly. He hated when she used him to get attention. It was bad enough in front of the other guys but Cara? Why did he suddenly feel so ashamed of kissing his girlfriend? He wouldn't even have pecked her lips in Cara's presence, let alone this. 

Pushing on Holly's ribs, he managed to tear her away from his mouth.

"What's going on?" He said breathlessly. 

"I want you," She smirked back, "I want you right now."

He sucked in a breath of air when her hand slid down his chest and cupped him through his pants. Between the adrenaline of the show and the way she had been not-so-gently gyrating on him while they kissed, he was already halfway there. 

Holly smashed her lips back against his, wriggling out of his grip so her feet landed back on the floor and she could slide her thigh between his legs slightly. Brandon moaned and gripped her waist. 

"Not here."

He took her hand and they practically ran through the corridors. Checking behind him to make sure no one had spotted them, Brandon flung the door to a bathroom open and pushed her gently inside. He barely had time to lock the door before he felt her hand slide around his stomach and into his pants, palming him sloppily while he held himself up with his hands against the door frame.

With his eyes on the door as she worked him, Brandon's mind jolted back to another bathroom. He physically tensed at the memory, feeling instantly guilty. Holly's lips brushed the back of his neck as her hand slipped out of his pants. She obviously thought the tension in his shoulders had been a sign he was ready for more. 

Brandon turned, kissing her neck because he couldn't bear to go near her lips after his sudden flood of memory. Her moans slipped to the back of his mind and were replaced by Cara's moans all those years ago. He had been inexperienced and nervous as hell but she had kept him on the right track.

"Fuck me, Brandon," Holly whimpered as his fingers massaged her through her panties. 

Wracked with guilt he spun her around, pushing her over the sink slightly. He made quick work of her skirt and underwear before plunging into her. 

His girlfriend's moans were barely audible above the lucid memories his mind was still conjuring. He could hear Cara. He could see the way she'd moved to Somebody Told Me earlier in the show. He could see the way she'd pulled him by his skinny tie into the bathroom of that bar ten years ago.

He couldn't remember the last time he was this turned on. His pace increased as he gripped the counter with both hands.

He finished briefly after Holly, falling against her back with his heart pounding in his chest. The guilt returned. How was he supposed to look her in the eye after this. Holly's hand reached up to run through his hair. 

"You're mine," She whispered, more cold and factual than sentimental.

Brandon shuddered. That couldn't be less true.


	11. Swallow Down The Pride

Brandon's POV

Brandon stared at the name on the console of his truck. Shaking himself out of his spiralling thoughts he started the engine. Curse his phone for automatically connecting to the car. But then, it was him who had Cara's contact details loaded and ready to go on the phone in the first place.

It was a 5 hour drive to his parents house. Holly had decided she would rather go shopping with friends. He was still too deep in his guilt to argue. 

It had been 3 months since Madison Square Gardens. He hadn't seen Cara since he'd caught her staring at his body in their dressing room - having been too embarrassed to go back there after what happened. Thinking about the way she had looked at him still made him shiver.

He was going to end things with Holly. They weren't right for each other. Since that night (incidentally, the last time they'd had sex) they'd been drifting apart even more so than usual. He couldn't look at her without feeling guilty and she really didn't seem to care that neither of them made any effort in their relationship any more. It would be better for them both. 

His mind swirled with thoughts of what he needed to do as he reached the outskirts of the city. 

Stop running.

Glancing over his shoulder at the road (nearly deserted in the very early hours of the morning), he turned the car around. 

Brandon was back at his house within ten minutes. He jumped out of the car and walked through the door with determination. Holly looked up, her phone pressed to her ear as she sipped her coffee.

"Hey sweetie, I'm on the phone with--"

"We need to talk."

Holly sighed and rolled her eyes, hanging up the phone without a word to whoever was on the other end.

"We're done?"

Brandon startled at her monotonous tone. He thought there may be some sadness, at least. He knew there wouldn't be surprise.

"This isn't working. You must see that too."

"It's working enough," Holly continued, "Nothing's perfect."

"Don't you think there should be more than this?" Brandon frowned, "We're about to end a nearly 4 year relationship and, I don't know about you, but I feel... nothing."

"Is this because you want to fuck that hotel manager?"

He winced, "Holly..."

"Because I don't care if you do," Holly sighed, "If it gets it out of your system. She can be Marilyn if I get to be Jackie."

Brandon gawped. He could not believe what he was hearing. Holly went back to scrolling on her phone as if nothing had been said in the first place. 

"I'm going to Nephi," Brandon said quietly, "And when I'm back you need to be gone. We both deserve better than this. Better than that. Take whatever you want from the house. I won't dispute any of it."

He knew he'd made the right decision when he saw Holly's eyes light up for just a second. She was already planning what she could take. Not a flicker of emotion had crossed her face. He meant what he said about her taking anything. It was his house, but they'd lived together for over two years. They had equal rights to everything in there.

He turned on his heel and walked out the door.

\--

Cara's POV

She was halfway up the stairs to her apartment when her phone rang. She muttered a string of curses, assuming it was work.

"Yup?" She said gruffly, expecting Tony's sardonic voice telling her about this absolutely insurmountable problem a guest had. 

They had the same sense of humour. He never failed to make her laugh, regardless of any issue they faced.

"It's me."

She stopped in her tracks, tugging the key out of the door she'd just opened. She would have been forgiven for thinking she'd accidentally opened the door to Vegas in 2002 and her boyfriend was asking if he could come over for pizza. His voice was so casual.

"Oh hey," She said as casually as she could, "What's up?"

Brandon giggled down the line. He sounded like he was in outer space. 

"Where are you, dude? Your voice is weird."

"Well thank you very much," He snorted, "I am on my way to Nephi."

Ah. Handsfree plus long deserted roads was not a great combination. She smiled as she started putting her groceries away. 

"Send the family my best wishes."

She could almost hear him smiling down the line. He was in a good mood. Three months of radio silence and now it was like they were best friends.

"I don't wanna sound rude," She blushed, despite him not being able to see her, "But did you call for a reason?"

Brandon giggled again, "Yeah. To apologise for my behaviour after the gig."

Cara frowned at his strange phrasing, "It's cool. We only stayed for a while then the security guy said he saw you leave so I figured you were... Uh, busy."

She smacked her forehead with her palm. She really didn't want to hear about his sex life with his girlfriend. 

"It was a weird night," He said quietly, "But I shouldn't have just run out."

Silence fell. She had no idea what he was thinking about but she couldn't stop thinking about the extreme physical reaction she had had to hearing him sing the songs they used to play in her bar. Songs like Somebody Told Me were designed for the sweaty, smudged eyeliner boy of those days - not this greek god he had become. It was a lot to deal with.

"Can we talk?" Brandon said suddenly, "Like, properly face to face talk?"

Cara's heart fluttered.

"Sure. You got skype?"

"Uh, I don't know what that is," Brandon said, and this time she was the one having to fight through a giggle, "But I'll be in the city next month if you're free."

"Sounds good. We can get dinner. There's a Mexican place here you would just love--"

Cara stopped herself. Was she asking her ex boyfriend out for dinner? Despite knowing he had a girlfriend? Before she could apologise for how inappropriate that was, he responded.

"Alright. I can't wait."


	12. Come On Give Us One More Spark

Cara's POV

"This might be a sign that I'm not supposed to see him again."

"Since when are you believing in signs?" Em rolled her eyes as she continued getting ready.

Her roommate had immediately arranged to disappear for the whole night when Cara told her Brandon was meeting her for dinner. Despite Cara's protest that under no circumstances would he be making it back this far. Em just rolled her eyes (a trademark of hers, evidently) and said sure. 

And now Cara was barely able to speak, her voice cracking every couple of seconds. She'd left a croaky message on Brandon's voicemail. This was definitely karma for the detailed dream she'd had about him a week ago. Apparently she was believing in karma now too.

The doorbell rang and Em bounded over to answer. Her boyfriend was picking her up. Cara snuggled further into her blankets on the couch. She was probably going to watch a terrible movie and try not to think about Brandon being in her city. A shudder ran through her. Ok, maybe she needed to watch something with a sex scene.

"Uh hey," A familiar, muffled voice said, "Is Cara here?"

As Brandon appeared through the door of the living room, Cara jumped to her feet, instantly making herself dizzy.

"Woah," Brandon giggled, reaching out to support her arm, "You all good there?"

"No!" Cara squeaked, "I'm ill!"

Brandon giggled again at her sarcasm, his hand still wrapped around her arm supportively. Em caught Cara's eye. She made a circle with her hand and moved it towards her mouth, pushing her tongue against her cheek in time with the movements. Cara's mouth dropped open and Em winked.

"See you tomorrow, you two! Nice to see you again Brandon!"

Brandon gave her a small wave as she made her exit. Cara tried to recompose herself.

"You're real pale, do you need to sit down?" He asked, looking into her eyes again with concern.

"Uh yep, sorry, my head is spinning a little," She said quickly as she flopped onto the couch again.

And thanks to my roommate I'm thinking about your dick in my mouth.

Brandon knelt down in front of her and she thought she was going to pass out.

"I brought honey and lemon. I drink this thing when my voice is having an off day, it's really good."

"You didn't have to come over, Brandon."

"I wanted to."

As he disappeared into the kitchen Cara desperately tried to fix her appearance. She hadn't been expecting company, especially not company this fucking attractive. Her hair was piled on top of her head and she was wearing the biggest hoodie she owned. 

Her blood ran cold. She was wearing Brandon's hoodie. FUCK. 

Before she could go change, Brandon reemerged with his hot lemon drink. He blew on it gently as he sat on the edge of the couch. She moved her legs so he could sit back. 

"Hot," He said softly, blowing into the cup again.

Couldn't agree more, she thought, watching the way his neck muscles strained as he cooled her drink for her. Brandon glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and she instinctively blushed. 

"Uh, you're really tan now."

What the fuck was that?

Brandon giggled, "Yup."

He passed her the cup, smiling as she made an appreciative noise. It was surprisingly nice, even though she hated lemon. She watched as he took in her apartment. Should she be embarrassed? No, she lived in New York. Almost everyone lived in a glorified cupboard. Besides, not everyone could be a rockstar. 

\--

Brandon's POV

Brandon stood as something on the small fireplace in Cara's living room caught his eye.

"Holy shit," He gasped quietly.

The photo was of a happy couple on their wedding day, surrounded by smiling family and friends. It was Cara's wedding day.

"You got married?" He said, unable to hide the shock in his voice.

Cara chuckled, "Yeah. 2005."

"I can't believe I didn't know," Brandon continued, "What happened? Sorry-- I shouldn't-- It's none of my business."

"Brandon, it's fine. Um, nothing happened. We woke up one day, 5 years later, and realised neither of us had the energy or desire to fight for our marriage. So we split."

"Gosh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Cara smiled, "It was a totally amicable divorce. He took what was his and I took what was mine. Kind of scarily emotionless, actually. Made me wonder how we'd made it that far when neither of us gave a shit."

Brandon shuddered. That sounded all too familiar. 

"Sorry," She blushed, "Oversharing."

"Not at all," Brandon said quickly, "You can't settle for something that doesn't seem right. Life's short."

Cara looked at him carefully and nodded.

They passed hours on Cara's couch, catching up on each other's lives and laughing and stupid shit. He ordered takeaway from the Mexican place she had been planning on taking him too. She made him watch some TV that wasn't his trusty The Waltons, mocking him ruthlessly for his taste in programs. 

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so settled. 

"I better go to bed," Cara croaked eventually, the clock just gone 2am.

Her voice had improved with his remedy, but Brandon knew she'd have to take another cup in the morning to have the full benefit. He smiled at her sleepily.

"Yeah. We'd hate for you to totally lose your voice and not be able to make snarky remarks to your guests."

Cara batted his arm but laughed. His shoulder tingled at the contact.

"You can uh... you can take the couch again, if you like? Or head back to your hotel, I'm sure your girlfriend would prefer that. Dumb idea."

"Holly and I broke up."

She stopped in the doorway and stared at him, "Fuck, Brandon. I'm sorry."

He shrugged, "If it ain't right, it ain't right."

She half-smiled at the echo of their early conversation, turning into the bathroom as he made his way into her room and began clearing the couch. She was still messy. Some things never changed. 

He perched on the couch and tried to figure out if he could take his jeans off and sleep in his briefs. Would that be too weird? Maybe he could ask if she had any other of his clothes than his hoodie. He smirked - she probably didn't remember it was his, but it had made his heart flutter to see her in it. 

"It's fucking freezing in here," He chuckled as she remerged in his hoodie, the sleeves bunched up in her hands. 

"Yeah, sorry," She shook her head, "Our heating is temperamental, to say the least."

She frowned as he swung his legs onto the couch and pulled a blanket over himself.

"You're sleeping in your jeans?"

"Uh yeah," He blushed, "I didn't wanna overstep the boundaries."

Cara snorted, "You remember that I've seen everything before, right?"

"I do remember that."

He looked her dead in the eye. Now she was the one blushing.

"Those things will cut your circulation off, dummy. I promise not to peek."

Brandon giggled and stood up, shimmying his jeans onto the floor. As he turned to lie back down, Cara's small hand slid around his bicep. Turning into her grip, he was surprised to find that she tucked her body against his, gripping him in a tight hug like the one they had shared in her kitchen the last time he was here. Brandon kissed the top of her head lightly, stroking her hair with one hand while his other pulled her body as close to him as physically possible. 

"Stay with me."

Brandon frowned down at her, his heart still skipping. It took his brain a moment to figure out that she didn't mean in her apartment. She meant in her bed. 

He nodded once, allowing her to lead him by the hand as she slid into bed. He followed her under the covers, delighting when she snuggled into him. Cradling her gently, he listened as her breathing slowed. He was sure she would be able to hear his heart pounding against his chest, where her head was buried. But if she could, it didn't bother her. Within minutes she was asleep.

He thought about Holly asking him if he was ending things because he wanted to fuck Cara. It was so much more than that.

I still love you.


	13. We Can't Wait Til Tomorrow

Brandon's POV

Brandon woke to the gentle puff of Cara's breath on his neck. He smiled as his eyes opened slowly to reveal her hair splayed over the pillow, her face as serious as it had always looked when she slept.

He slid closer to her and she hummed softly, her arm slipping around his waist and grabbing a fistful of the back of his shirt. Brandon stroked her side with his thumb as he listened to her breathing.

"Mornin'," She croaked.

Her voice sounded better despite the tiredness pervading it. One more honey and lemon drink should have her back to normal entirely. 

"Morning."

Cara yawned, her forehead against his chest. She looked up at him through her long eyelashes and his heart soared. It had been a long time since he felt like this.

"You're so warm," She mumbled, snuggling closer into his chest. 

Brandon coughed awkwardly as her hip brushed his morning wood. Cara snickered.

"Sorry," He said bashfully.

"Mhmm."

They lay tangled together for another half hour. Cara thankfully keeping her lower half tilted away from him. 

"You never told me what happened to your voice."

"I went to one of Andy's concerts. Sang a little too enthusiastically."

Brandon giggled as she rolled away from him slightly, the back of her hand gliding over her eyes as if the room was blindingly bright. 

"Did I tell you I got tickets to go see him in London?"

"Really?!" Cara propped herself up on her elbow, "That's next month, right?"

Brandon nodded, twisting his body so he was facing her too.

"We have our European leg next. I heard he was doing a couple of gigs in the UK and I couldn't resist."

Cara frowned slightly. Her hand reached out and she ran her fingers under the small pocket on the front of the t-shirt he had slept in. He let out an involuntary quiet moan as her nail brushed against his nipple. 

Cara's eyes lifted to his face, her expression unreadable. He didn't even have time to be embarrassed before she brought her lips against his in a slow, deliberate kiss. 

Brandon's body tensed, and he suddenly became very aware of his hands. Gently laying his hand on her shoulder, safe territory, he began to move his lips in time with hers until they found a rhythm. 

Cara groaned as he slid his tongue along her bottom lip, willingly allowing him the access he was craving. His hands slid down to her waist as she brought herself up onto her hand, balancing there as her knee swung over his hips until she was leaning over him, one hand on either side of his head. 

She pulled his lip between her teeth with a grin as his hands dropped further, giving her ass a playful squeeze. As they continued to make out, Brandon's body felt like it was on fire. She was still bent over him, with painfully little physical contact. He pulled her hips down, a short puff of air escaping him as she made contact with the growing bulge in his pants.

\--

Cara's POV

Cara pulled away from the kiss quickly. Brandon's eyes fluttered open and his cheeks turned pink.

"Fuck, sorry-- I--"

Cara shook her head.

"Please don't be sorry," She said breathlessly.

She sat back up, being carefully to be sure she was sitting halfway down his thighs and no higher. Brandon pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at her, his face wrought with embarrassment.

"That was way too fast, I shouldn't have--"

"Brandon," She interrupted, cupping his cheek and placing another kiss on his reddened lips, "I can't explain how badly I want to--"

Her voice faded out as she glanced down between them. She heard his breath hitch as she looked at his erection, evident under his black briefs. 

"But I can't," She whispered, "I'm sorry. This is too much like last time."

Brandon frowned, his hands running up her back supportively. 

"You never have to be sorry for anything," He said softly.

Cara smiled appreciatively, sucking in a deep breath. She giggled infectiously and he couldn't help but follow. 

"This is ridiculous."

"We were always bad at the self-control thing."

She nodded, kissing him softly. Her hand wound around the side of his neck. He flinched as her nails dug into his hairline, a pleasant shudder running down his spine.

"Cara..."

"Shit, sorry, oh my god," She pushed her hands on his chest, "I gotta get up."

She stood up on the bed and hopped onto the floor with a giggle. 

"What is so funny?" 

"I was gonna ask if you were getting up but..." She gestured at his crotch, which he had ruffled her sheets over in a vain attempt to pretend no part of him was already 'up'.

"Shut up," Brandon snorted. 

Cara laughed again. She moved to rifle through her wardrobe and Brandon fought to take his eyes off her legs, her shorts riding up as she stretched. His issue wasn't going anywhere.

"Where does this leave us?"

She turned to face him.

"I don't know, honestly. I still... I think I still like you a lot. And goddamnit I want you."

He blushed at the gruffness in her voice, smirking slightly. She wasn't hiding the hunger in her voice very well.

"But this is so similar to before, B," She said sadly, "I mean, we fell hard last time. Right before you went on tour. I don't have the strength to do that again. The timing isn't right." 

Brandon nodded.

"You're right."

They shared a couple of moments in silence. She wasn't sure if she was going to burst into tears or give in to her body and pin him to the bed. Eventually Brandon broke the silence to ask if he could use her shower, interrupting her brain as it considered the pros and cons of each option. 

She tried not to laugh as he awkwardly disappeared out of the room, his hand just barely covering the bulge in his briefs. She threw his jeans to him as he walked through the door. 

A couple of days and he'd be halfway across the world again. She knew she was doing the right thing for both of them. 

Even if she couldn't get the image of him in her shower out of her mind.


	14. I Never Was A Quitter

Cara's POV

Cara pulled her coat on as she felt the chill of the evening air hit her. Another long day at work had left her craving Chinese food and curling up in a ball to watch 6 hours of TV. 

Oh, and her evening call with Brandon. 

It had become part of her daily routine in the two months he had been gone. After giving up on trying to get him to video call her (she only wanted to see up his nose so many times), she had settled for hearing his voice. Which was pretty nice, anyway.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she grinned. 

"Hey you."

"Hey darlin'."

Cara's stomach flooded with butterflies. He had called her that a million times and yet she couldn't resist falling harder for him every time. 

"How was work?" He asked, his voice laced with fatigue. 

"A shitshow," She chuckled, "Rich people turn into animals when there is no almond milk."

Brandon giggled.

"Did you find almond milk?"

"Yeah."

"And they still complained?"

"Of course. Life would be so very hard if they couldn't yell at someone at least once every 24 hours."

"I'm sorry it sucked."

"Hey, I have two whole days of freedom now! Fuck their almond milk!"

Brandon laughed out loud.

"How you got all those five star ratings I will never know."

"I'll have you know I am a very pleasant and amicable person."

"Mhm, sure," Brandon hummed, "So what are you doing tonight?"

"Crashing into my bed with netflix and Chinese food. But enough about my boring life, Brandon," She shook her head, "How's tour?"

"Exhausting. But great." 

"I bet you could do with a couple of days off, huh."

He paused for a moment, "Yeah, that would be pretty nice."

Cara looped around the corner from her building. Her calls with Brandon were always laced with the undertone of the sadness that this could have been what happened ten years ago. If either of them had stopped being so stubborn. 

"Tackling some stairs there?" Brandon giggled.

Cara stuck her middle finger up in the air and puffed, "Fuck off, Flowers."

She was indeed climbing the stairs of her building. She had hoped her heavy breathing wasn't that bad. Wishful thinking.

"You try climbing 7 flights in heels and a skirt not designed for movement, then get back to me."

"I think you'd look better doing it than I would."

She could hear the smile in his quiet voice. 

"I don't know, you have a pretty nice ass."

"You'll be happy to see my ass again?"

"I've been considering sending it a postcard."

"No need," Brandon said softly.

She frowned at her phone as she rounded the corner of the final flight of stairs. Four bars of signal. Had he hung up on her? 

\--

Brandon's POV

He smirked to himself as he watched Cara frown at her phone from his position leaning against the door frame of her apartment. She looked even better than he'd imagined. No wonder the stairs had been a challenge for her. The skirt was skin tight and cut to just below her knees. It was giving him breathing problems too.

She still hadn't spotted him as she made her way down the corridor. Suddenly he had no idea what to do that wouldn't scare the shit out of her. 

He coughed quietly.

She glanced up at the noise and let out a high pitched shriek. 

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Brandon startled, suddenly thinking this hadn't been his finest idea. But his worries faded away as she ran at him, flinging her handbag to the ground at his feet before flinging herself around him. 

"What are you doing here?" She grinned, pulling away from him just enough to look him in the eye.

Brandon blushed and smiled, very aware of the proximity of their bodies and the way her hand was toying with his hair at the back of his head. 

"I had a couple of days."

She smiled at him warmly and his guard dropped. He was exhausted and jetlagged, and taking two more flights than he normally would. But every bit of that was worth it to have her look at him like that. 

"I physically could not wait any longer to see you."

Cara's eyes softened and she let him go. Out of habit, he stuffed his hands into his pockets as he looked down at her. She was still smaller than him, even with the added height of her shoes. 

"So..." He said nervously, scared he had overstepped the mark, "What about that Chinese food?"

Cara took a step towards him and pressed her lips against his.

"I've missed you too, B," She mumbled against his lips.

Brandon's heart flipped and he leaned into the kiss, his arms circling her waist until their mouths broke contact and they ended up in a tight embrace. 

Patting his arms to let her go, Cara bent down to pick up her handbag before rummaging for her keys. 

"Typically, I would not react so well to a strange man in a leather jacket grabbing my ass in my own doorway." 

Brandon blushed and giggled, embarrassed that his hands may have travelled lower than he'd intended. 

"Sorry. That's... That's a really good outfit on you."

Cara raised an eyebrow as she pushed the door open. He followed her inside as she flicked on the lights and called out for her roommate. No response.

"She must be out with Eric," Cara said.

Brandon felt the tension rise between them again as it sunk in that they had the apartment to themselves. He knew what his own body was craving, and if he was reading Cara right, she was very much on the same page. But he still had a month of touring left. He would be back just before his birthday. 

Besides, as hungry as she looked for him, he knew from her phone call that she was also actually hungry. 

"We should get some food," She said quietly, eyeing him as if she was expecting a protest and wasn't sure what she would do if there was.

Brandon closed the gap between them and kissed her, revelling in the way her hands slid up his arms and she moved her hips ever so slightly against him as the kiss deepened. Breaking the contact to rest their foreheads together, he sighed.

They could do one more month.

"I'll be back so soon."

"I can't wait."

She smiled as she moved away from him, handing him the takeaway menu as she went to get changed into her pyjamas. 

As he perused the menu, his thoughts drifted to the end of the tour. He had an idea.


	15. I Drove Through The Desert

Cara's POV

Cara made her way through the airport, jostling the holidaying crowd. You'd really think there would be a limit on how many people could cheer 'Vegas, baby!' in the space of the twenty minutes she'd been in baggage claim, but evidently not. 

Rolling her eyes as another group of lads (to be fair, more like dads, there was not a single one under the age of 50) boasting about how lucky they were feeling, she felt extreme relief when she spotted the door. 

And waiting just by it, Brandon.

His face lit up when he saw her, the smattering of stubble along his jaw sending her crazy even from the distance between them. He gave her a small wave as she jogged over. She threw her arms around him and nuzzled her face into his neck. 

"Well hello there," Brandon mumbled into her hair, squeezing her back just as tightly. 

"You smell amazing."

He let out a delighted laugh, a sound she couldn't believe she had missed so much in four measly weeks. 

Pulling back from him, with her hands still firmly attached to his biceps as if he was going to disappear, she grinned. 

"Hey."

Brandon took her bags from her, despite her protests, and held out his hand. Cara brought the back of his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. She was loving being in his presence again, happy to be by his side. 

"Since when did you get all lovey-dovey?" Brandon smirked down at her. 

She imagined she was looking up at him with big round Disney eyes. That's certainly how it felt. Damn, she thought, Good question.

"I have always been an incredibly romantic person."

Brandon snorted as lights in a nearby car flashed to signifying they were nearly there. 

"You gave me a keyring for Valentine's Day."

"Hey!" She batted his arm, "I was 21, and broke as shit. And it was a cool keyring, you were lucky to have me."

Brandon raised an eyebrow as she climbed into the car and he joined her, after slinging her bags in the boot. 

"Shut up," She groaned, "All you got me was making Dave leave your apartment so we could fuck in the kitchen."

Brandon gasped.

"I-- That's-- That is not why I asked Dave to leave! I cooked you dinner!"

"You made noodles in your microwave and then..."

"I made dinner," He pinched her arm, "And then... We might have had sex in the kitchen."

"Might have?"

"Definitely did."

"Twice."

"Three, for you, thank you very much."

"No no," She yawned, the exhaustion of her day just starting to sink in, "Thank you."

Brandon giggled as he pulled the car out of the lot. He glanced over at her, catching her staring back at him. 

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, darlin'."

He squeezed her thigh before rifling through the small pocket in the centre panel of the car. 

"Put your hand out."

"Why?"

"No questions."

Cara did as she was told. Brandon dropped something into her hand with a smile. 

"Oh my god, you kept it."

She traced the contours of the keyring with her thumb. It was a photo of Las Vegas. Tourist tat. Except for one notable feature - the teeny tiny Oasis poster that was just about visible in the image. It was from the show Brandon had been to when he decided to start taking music seriously. 

He ran his hand over his face and she noticed how much longer and softer his hair had become in even the month since she'd seen him last. This really was the end of the era of Battle Born. 

There was a greying tinge in the bit just above his ear. 

"Of course I kept it."

He eyed her carefully before continuing.

"It was my good luck charm during the first tour. We used to get these artist passes that we had to have around our necks--"

"I bet those aren't as necessary any more," She laughed.

Brandon shook his head in agreement, "One for the team is fine now. But I used to attach this little reminder of home to my pass for each show. The worst show we ever did was the one night I left it on my bedside table."

\--

Brandon's POV

Cara began to stretch her arms as he pulled the car into Ronnie's driveway, entering the 5 digit code for the automatic gate with only a little deliberation. The drive hadn't been long, but she'd been in work all day and a plane all evening so he could see she was tired. She hadn't asked any questions about why they were staying with Ron instead of at his home. Thankfully.

As the car came to a gentle stop, Brandon reached out his hand to take hers. He stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

"You ok?"

"Wonderful."

She flashed him a toothy grin before hopping out of the car with more energy than he expected. 

Before he'd managed to fully climb out of the car himself, Ronnie appeared in the doorway, dressed like he was going into the mountains. 

"About goddamn time," He said cheerily, slamming the door behind him, "Let's see some stars!"

\--

Brandon shook his head for the hundredth time that night. Cara snorted.

"I just can't believe you two listen to me so carefully!"

Ronnie raised an eyebrow at Cara, who shrugged.

"Neither can we."

He kicked her hiking boot lightly and began to poke at the fire in front of them. They had taken him camping, so he could wake up on the morning of his 31st birthday in his favourite spot in the Mojave. He knew he'd mentioned it to both of them before, but he had an inkling it had been Cara who suggested it. Each time he voiced his joy her eyes sparkled. 

They'd spent the sunset and into the darkness chatting back and forth. Ronnie and Cara got on so well and Brandon had felt lucky to have them both in his life. He knew he was only in his thirties, but recently he'd begun to feel like he was getting old. He'd began trying to remember how grateful he was for everything, especially the people in his life.

Ronnie stood with a groan, cracking his neck before making his way to his tent using his phone as a torch. 

"Alright, lovebirds," He waved, "See you on the old man's birthday."

"You're older than me," Brandon replied.

Ronnie stuck up his middle finger as he zipped his tent. The light went out quickly.

"I am ageing like a fine wine, Flowers," He called from inside his room for the night.

Brandon held out his arm as Cara shuffled along the makeshift log-bench they had set up, holding her close as she wrapped an arm around his waist. 

"This was really thoughtful, thank you."

She shrugged, her feet shuffling in her boots. He smirked, she was still shy about being romantic. Her gestures were usually understated and she never wanted credit. But she deserved credit. 

Tilting her chin up to him with his hand, Brandon pressed his lips against hers. 

"Thank you."


	16. Trying To Find My Place In The World

Brandon's POV

Brandon woke to the light streaming through the unzipped portion of the tent. Cara was kneeling by the door, her head stuck out of the gap and her butt in the air inside the tent. He chuckled and pinched her over her sweatpants, making her jump.

"Holy FUCK," Cara yelped, her hand over her heart, "I mean, good morning handsome. Happy birthday!"

Brandon blinked a few times as she closed out the harshness of the morning sun. He held his arm out for her to snuggle against his side, which she did without hesitation. She kissed his neck while he hummed happily.

"Thanks baby. Why are you awake so early?"

"Still on New York time, I think."

Her bent leg was resting over his thighs and his hand slipped down to hold it in place. As his fingers swept over the material of her sweatpants she moaned quietly. Brandon's heart skipped a beat.

"Where's Ronnie?" He asked sleepily, his hand tugging her leg further over him until she obliged and lay on top of him.

"He went home. Said he'd catch you at the studio later. We're hiking back."

Brandon's excitement at the prospect of one of his favourite hikes dissipated when he realised that meant Ronnie had left them to go back to Brandon's house. 

"Fuck."

"Yeah I figured that's something you might be interested in," Cara snickered, sitting up on his thighs and rubbing her hands on his chest, "But several hikers have passed us already. No way."

Brandon blushed as he realised both that he had sworn out loud at his own thoughts, and that his briefs were a little tighter than he'd have liked them to have been. 

"I promise I don't always have a hard-on."

Cara snickered again and leaned down to kiss him, her hands carding through the short hair on the sides of his head. 

"It's like seeing an old friend."

Brandon choked on air and had to sit up to cough it out as Cara patted his back. 

It took them a little while to get ready, neither of them able to keep their eyes off the other while they got dressed. It took them even longer to dismantle the tent that Brandon kept swearing he knew how to do before doing totally the wrong thing. Eventually, they set off on their hike.

Reaching the river, Cara let go of his hand and hopped onto a rock on the bank. Brandon followed more cautiously.

"Look!" She grinned, "There's a swing rope!"

Brandon immediately started to shake his head. There was no way he was going in the freezing cold water. Cara raised an eyebrow and pulled her shirt over her head. She winked at him as he gawped, kicking her shoes and socks off before reaching for the rope. 

She took a small run up, and swung over the water, letting go as the rope began to swing back to Brandon. The splash got him and he cursed through a giggle. When Cara resurfaced, she pushed her hair back and splashed more water at him. 

"Come on!"

Brandon gave in, stripping himself off and creating a small pile of their belongings, before dropping into the water beside her. He pulled her body against his, shivering as her hands pushed his hair out of his face.

\--

Cara's POV

"Isn't it kind of crazy that I've never seen your house?" Cara mused as they reached the edge of the city.

Brandon looked at her out of the side of his eye.

"Like, I saw your crumbling apartment you had in 2002, but you always had such big ambitions of owning one of those."

She pointed to the expensive looking complex of mansions in the distance. It had grown considerably in the ten years since Brandon had pointed it out to her, telling her it was where he wanted to move to when they got a record deal. He had been joking, any improvement from his extremely low budget apartment was all he wanted. 

Brandon giggled a little, but his face dropped again. He turned to her suddenly, catching her arm and bringing her around to look at him. 

"I don't... I don't live in Vegas anymore."

Cara's jaw dropped. She had not been expecting that. Brandon sighed, nervously rubbing his face with the heel of his hand.

"When Holly and I split," He started, looking Cara deep in the eye, "I told her to take whatever she wanted. I didn't care. We lived together and she had equal rights to all of the stuff in that house."

Cara nodded, her face flooded with concern.

"She took everything, Cara. Everything. The shell is all that she left, and only because I had the house before I met her so my name is on the deeds."

"Fuck," Cara breathed, "I'm so sorry, Brandon. That's... I'm assuming that's a huge loss."

She moved closer to him, her hand cradling his face gently. He nuzzled against her appreciatively before continuing. He hadn't even had the heart to calculate the value of what had gone. The financial loss he could take, but the things she had taken out of spite made his blood boil.

"So, when I got back to uh that," He half-laughed, "I put the house on the market. It felt tainted. And I was looking for somewhere in Vegas but then my brother..."

"Utah."

He looked at her, unsure how she'd figured that out. She shrugged.

"You always wanted to be close to family. Where?"

"Park City."

Cara nodded slowly.

"I love this city. But I can afford to come and go."

"Does Ronnie mind us crashing at his place?"

Brandon giggled as they started walking again. He had been scared to tell her he was currently homeless - stuck between his sold old home, and his new home which wouldn't be ready for him for another week. Especially since she'd come so far to see him. 

"Ronnie expressly forbade us enjoying my birthday uh... night," Brandon stuttered, ignoring Cara's laugh, "In the room next to his."

"Ronnie's smart."

Brandon blushed. He had been hoping this might be the night they managed to cross that final boundary they had been putting off. Seemed Cara was interested in that prospect too.

"We both know you're a screamer," She finished.


	17. She's With Me All The Way

Brandon's POV

Brandon paced the room, undoing and redoing his bowtie for the fourth time. Was it insane to be wearing a tuxedo? No, he'd told Cara their evening was formal. She'd be this dressed up. And besides, the setting demanded it. 

He took a deep breath as he took in his surroundings. The hotel suite he had chosen was perfect. Literally, perfect. The entrance was adorned with stunning art resembling a fresco, the light from the floor standing candelabras (one on either side) flickered softly against the vaulted ceiling. The columns that led to the open living space were wound with vines and roses. Soft light from the fairy lights he had had draped around the room gave it a soft, romantic glow. Beyond the small seating area a grand piano was dotted with candles and flowers and beyond that, french doors led onto a generous balcony which currently housed a small dining table set for two people. 

The view beyond was spectacular. The lights of the city were just far below enough to not be blinding while still being visible, and the Mojave glowed under the setting sun in the distance. The buzz of the crowds could be heard, but in a pleasantly muted way. 

Brandon panicked as he looked for the record player he had asked to be installed. He sighed in relief as he spotted it, making his way across the room to check that the records he had sent over were waiting. Don Henley was his main choice, knowing it was one of their mutually enjoyed artists. He placed the record carefully, noting his own shaking hands as he did so. 

The buzz of his phone in his pocket made him jump. Glancing down, his heart fluttered as he saw Ronnie's name. 

R: Eagle has left the nest. Over and out. 

He giggled and was about to put his phone back in his pocket when a second text came through.

R: Seriously bro, she'll love it. Relax and have fun. And get some birthday bumps, if you know what I'm saying ;)

Brandon sighed. He wasn't sure how his friend did it, but he always knew how he was feeling. Maybe it was because nine times out of ten: he was panicking. And he always knew to lighten the mood with a joke. Not that getting some 'birthday bumps' hadn't already been on his mind. Ronnie had already reminded him in the studio how long it had been since he had had fun.

He decided to take a final look around. He nodded to the two waiters they had for the evening, blushing slightly as he passed them to check again that everything was in order in the bedroom. 

The bed was four poster and almost intimidatingly fancy. He ran his hand over the crisp sheets before turning to the claw foot tub by the window. They were high enough up that no one could possibly see them, and yet a bath so exposed by the window still felt alien to him. 

He ran his hand through his hair, checking his appearance one last time in the mirror. He felt as nervous as he had ten years ago when he took her to iHOP on their first date. Of course, by that time they had already had sex in the bathroom of her bar, so this felt like a new level of nerves. It was both of those events at once, plus the fact he was fulfilling one of his dreams.

\--

Cara's POV

Cara paused outside the door of the hotel room, double checking on her phone that Brandon's cryptic text had definitely been for this room number. The penthouse suite of his previous workplace had not been where she had been expecting to meet him on the night of his 31st birthday. 

But she had complied with his instructions. Her floor length purple dress certainly didn't feel out of place in the surroundings of the hallway. She fidgeted in her heeled boots and adjusting the split in the leg of her dress. She absolutely did not want to walk through the door and immediately flash him. As much as that would save her the trouble of trying to express that she wanted him to bend her over a table as soon as possible.

She raised her hand to knock on the door and pulled it away quickly to unleash her hair in loose curls around her shoulders. She always felt more confident with it down. Even if the snooty sales assistant who had sold her the dress told her it was better with an up-do. 

Before she could chicken out again, she gave three gentle taps on the expensive sounding wood. 

The door opened almost instantly, and a smiling waitress ushered her in, taking her bag from her before shutting the door. Cara gawped at the room. Even the doorway was beautiful. As her eyes adjusted to the soft light, she gasped out loud at the carefully arranged flowers and lights that twisted and turned in the space. It was beautiful. 

"Holy shit."

A soft giggle caught her attention. She took a few steps forward until she could see its source. 

Brandon smiled at her bashfully, his hands nervously wringing in front of his stomach. He was wearing a fitted tux that really wasn't helping her already scorching desire for him. 

"Surprise," He said quietly. 

Cara smiled. How could the man who planned a date of this extravagance be the same one looking at her as if he was terrified she was going to disappear in front of him? 

"It's your birthday," She said as she walked over to him, "How am I the one getting a surprise?"

Brandon shrugged as he took her hands in his, kissing her knuckles softly.

"Do you remember my 22nd birthday?"

Cara frowned slightly, "We went to Bonnie Springs."

He nodded, "And stayed in a motel on our way home. There was a crack in the wall. The water didn't work. The man next door jerked off very loudly all night. We woke up to police sirens in the morning."

Cara snorted, "Oh my god, yeah I do remember that. Romance, right?"

Brandon smiled. 

"And I said to you, someday I would treat you right. I would treat you to..."

"A penthouse suite in the nicest hotel in the city, with the best Italian food and champagne, and no drugs bust in the morning."

Brandon nodded, his face glowing in the fairy lights. Cara felt a little teary. She hadn't thought about that promise in a long time. She hadn't, frankly, thought he was serious. 

Brandon's face shifted to one of panic. Before he could speak, she put her hands on his chest and leaned in to kiss him, slowly and passionately. 

As their lips parted, Brandon ran his hands up Cara's forearms, holding her wrists gently. He leaned his forehead against hers and rubbed their noses together. 

"That's a thought that kept coming back to me. All these years. I never got the chance to do it. When I was finally capable of doing it, I'd been an idiot and lost you."

Cara shook her head, wiping under her eyes with a chuckle. 

"God. You're ruining my makeup."

Brandon giggled and kissed her forehead. 

"I love you. And the best birthday gift I could ever receive is you being here, and me finally being able to make good on a promise I've longed to fulfil. Also, you look so hot in that dress."

Cara laughed as his eyes scanned over her upper body and down to the slight glimpse of her thigh under the dress. 

"You clean up alright yourself, B. You know you didn't have to do..."

"I know," He said quietly, "I wanted to."

Cara sighed as he took her hand and led her to the table, pulling her chair out for her and winking as a waiter began to pour their champagne. 

As he turned to look at the view, Cara examined his profile. His face was twisted slightly with emotion. She couldn't feel more strongly about him - seeing both the boy she had fallen in love with and the incredible man he had become. This was going to be a special evening. One neither of them would ever forget.

"Hey," She whispered, nudging his hand with hers until their fingers interlocked.

Brandon turned around, his eyes soft and loving. Cara melted under his gaze. 

"I love you too."


	18. The Stakes Are High

Cara's POV

"Would it be weird if I unbuttoned my pants right now?"

Cara raised an eyebrow at Brandon across the table. She took a sip of her champagne and smiled at the waitress who appeared to clear their empty plates from the table. As soon as she was out of earshot again, Cara shrugged.

"I mean, I'm fine with that. They might not be."

Brandon groaned and leaned back in his chair.

"That was so good." 

She hummed her agreement and looked out over the city. Brandon had somehow managed to get the Italian restaurant they had gone to at least once a week in their short lived early romance to deliver a whole menu to them here in the hotel. 

Brandon squeezed her hand in his and stood, smoothing his shirt over his stomach. Cara's heart fluttered. He had taken his jacket off after the starter and she'd been trying to ignore the way his arms strained against the thin material ever since. 

She watched him disappear through the french doors, listening as he thanked and tipped the waiters and saw them out. She wandered to the edge of the balcony. Breathing in the warm evening air and watching as the nighttime crowds in the city began to build. 

She smiled as Brandon's hands snaked around her waist. Her eyes fluttered shut as he pushed her hair to one side and placed a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. 

"Thank you for tonight, Brandon."

"Thank you for giving me another chance."

They stood in silence, Brandon's arms wrapped tightly around Cara's waist and his cheek resting against her head. Cara's fingers interlocked with his on one hand, her other hand stroking his arm slowly. Darkness was beginning to properly fall when she adjusted her weight in her heels, stretching her leg. 

Brandon's hands on her waist tightened as her butt brushed against his crotch. Cara let out a giggle.

"Sorry," Brandon laughed, burying his face in her neck, "It's been a while."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"We should fix that."

Brandon gently bit into her shoulder and she shivered pleasantly. His hands rose to her biceps, squeezing them as he began to kiss along her shoulders and down the top of her spine. 

As his fingers began to tug on the zipper of her dress, Cara turned to face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, slowly and passionately, running her tongue along his bottom lip.

"Do you mind if I don't strip out here in the open?" She smiled, their lips barely apart. 

Brandon giggled, his cheeks turning pink. He took a step backwards and held her hand, leading her through the doors before moving behind her to close them. 

He turned around to face her and froze on the spot, as Cara tugged her zipper down and let the dress fall to the floor, standing in front of him in the lingerie she had bought specially for the evening. She pointed to one of the tiny purple bows that topped the black lace strapless bra.

"Happy birthday," She smiled, raising an eyebrow.

Brandon groaned and closed the gap between them, kissing her hard. He wrapped one arm around her and held her close, her feet lifting off the ground as he began to move them through the suite and to the bedroom. 

\--

Brandon's POV

His whole body felt on fire in wake of the close contact he had had with Cara as he set her back on her feet within the confines of their bedroom. His restless eyes couldn't settle on any one part of her mostly exposed body. Letting out a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. 

"You're incredible. You know that, right?"

Cara blushed in the dim light, ruffling her hair so it slightly covered her face. So she wasn't as confident as she'd just appeared. Brandon closed the gap between them again, pushing her hair back out of her face and kissing her reddened lips. He ran his hands down her sides, his thumbs brushing her chest and eliciting a whimper.

He ran one hand down her stomach, slipping his tongue into her mouth as her lips parted in a gasp when he tugged on the edge of her panties. She held his wrist in place, allowing him to brush her clit with only the very tips of his fingers. 

"Ok no way, you gotta give me something..." She chuckled.

He brushed her clit a little more harshly, giggling when her nails dug into his wrist and her sentence faded out.

"I was just about to give you something."

She cocked her head to one side and tugged his bowtie loose, releasing his wrist so she could use both hands to unbutton his shirt. 

"Come on," She whispered, kissing him gently, "I think I felt a nice set of abs under there, it's been torturing me ever since New York."

Brandon blushed a little as she pulled his shirt open and began to tug it down his arms. Cara bit her lip. 

"Damn."

Brandon laughed, "I got a personal trainer."

"I can see that. Do you wax your chest?"

The colour in his cheeks deepened.

"Maybe."

Cara smiled and bent forward, kissing along his collar bone and down to his belly button. His hand curled in her hair as she stood up straight again. 

"You said you wanted to unbutton your pants after the meal," She looked down and raised her eyebrow at his obvious excitement, "How about now?"

Brandon pulled her closer again, her hands resting on his hips for balance. He knew she was still wearing her heels because they drove him crazy. And it was working. 

"My hands are a little busy," He smiled, slipping his fingers under her panties and beginning to massage her slowly.

Cara's bottom lip dropped as his nimble fingers worked her. Brandon leaned forward and caught it between his teeth, pulling back gently and watching her eyes flutter.

"You know, the nervous dorky boy I used to date was sexy enough," She laughed breathlessly, "I don't know if I can handle this new confidence."

Brandon was about to send back a smug response when Cara's hand popped open the button on his pants and her hand slipped quickly into his briefs. His stomach tensed and he momentarily forgot to keep up the movements of his fingers.

"Ok, never mind," Cara winked, "I can still get the upper hand."

Brandon smiled as he watched her spit into her palm before returning to stroking him. His fingers kept time with her strokes, both of them breathing heavily against the other in between sloppy kisses and whispered nothings. 

"Bran-- Fuck, my legs are gonna give out," Cara moaned against his ear.

As if on cue, Brandon felt her knee shudder against his. He nodded and withdrew his fingers, bringing them to his mouth and sucking her juices off, loving how her eyes darkened in arousal. 

Cara pushed him backwards, his knees hitting the edge of the bed and causing him to fall back onto it with a grunt. Before he could get his bearings again she landed on top of him, pinning him to the doughy mattress with his hands above his head.


	19. My Body Just Comes Alive

Brandon's POV

Cara smiled as he whimpered beneath her, rolling her hips against him again and holding firm to his wrists as he wriggled.

"Cara..." Brandon groaned when she even moved her lips away from his advances. 

After so much contact, the bare minimum he was getting now was driving him crazy. He shivered as she drew his earlobe between her teeth.

"Are you saying aren't into this anymore?"

Brandon whimpered as she sunk her teeth into the sensitive skin of his neck. His arms were pushing up against her from a difficult angle, but he knew he could change their position if he wanted. He didn't want.

She smiled down at him, the tenderness in her eyes obvious - contrary to her tight grip on his wrists. She leaned down to rub her nose against his.

"Tell me if it's too much," She whispered, kissing him gently. 

She let go of his arms and swung her leg over him, laughing as he over-enthusiastically raised his hips to help her remove his remaining clothes. He shuddered more than he would have liked when she pecked a kiss to his happy trail, before rolling onto her back to slip her panties off.

"Fuck," He sighed as she placed herself back over him.

"Have you got protection?"

"Oh shit, yeah," He blushed at his forgetfulness - it was hard to concentrate with the vision currently rubbing her hands over his chest, "Top drawer."

As she reached over his shoulder Brandon took the opportunity to run his fingertips over her ribs and down to her hips. His hands wandered to her stomach and up to her breasts, squeezing her through her bra before fumbling with the hook at the back. 

"You ok there?" She smirked as she ripped the wrapper open with her teeth.

Brandon groaned and hid his face in his hands. Every little thing Cara was doing right now was making him ache for her, and this is not a problem he had been planning on having. She snickered and took his hand, kissing his fingertips and placing them on her sternum. 

"Opens in the front."

Brandon's hand flew away from his face.

"Oh my gosh, fuck! I thought--"

"You know I would still find it endearing if you couldn't figure out a bra, right?"

Brandon giggled and ran his hand up her chest, his fingers curling around her neck lightly. Cara's bottom lip dropped and Brandon felt his hard-on twitch against her thigh at the sight. It had been a long time since he'd indulged in anything more adventurous than the two positions and minimal effort Holly had been up for. He didn't realise how badly he'd missed it. God, he could practically hear Ronnie saying 'I told you so'.

"Endearing isn't what I was going for."

Cara's eyes scanned his face as he dropped his hand back to her bra, successfully popping it open this time and replacing it with his hands as it fell.

He pinched her nipple lightly and she gasped, shaking her head as she took his length in hand and rolled the condom on. She stroked him swiftly and his jaw dropped in pleasure.

"Alright," She leaned over him, "My turn to tease again."

Brandon placed his hands over his head compliantly, grinning as her small hands pinned him down again. 

\--

Cara's POV

Fuck. She had been hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. It had been such a long time since she had been intimate with Brandon, and although her memories were more than good (and certainly something she'd gravitated back to when she needed a little extra stimulation) she had feared that she may have built it up to more than it was.

But as Brandon raised his hips to let her grind along his length, it was clear that her memories hadn't done him justice. He was even bigger than she remembered, and had clearly gained confidence in the time they had been apart. Despite her position of control, she wasn't sure who was actually doing the teasing. 

She whimpered as Brandon bucked his hips upwards, despite her best efforts to be out of reach so she could control the pace. 

When he wiggled his hips as she lowered onto him she groaned. 

"Brandon!" 

He smirked.

"Yeah?"

He bucked his hips again and she faltered, enough for him to flip them over before she could react. He held her wrists above her head just as she had done to him and kissed her hard.

"How about I take over on this one?"

She rolled her eyes. Brandon took this as needing more persuasion and began to slowly suck and nibble her neck, his hard-on rubbing teasingly little against her.

"Hmm? Was that a yes?"

"Fuck--" She moaned as his tip pushed against her.

Brandon grinned, kissing around her lips and cheeks as she breathed in deeply, her legs tightening around him.

"What do you want?" He coaxed.

Her eyes flew open as he looked down at her, his smug face telling her he was convinced that he had the upper hand. She knew catching up on his discography would help her out.

"You," She smirked, "Daddy."

Brandon's grip loosened on her wrists as he processed what she had said and Cara freed herself, pushing him back and lining herself up before sliding onto him. They both moaned as she lowered herself the whole way, her hips rolling side to side as she adjusted. 

Brandon grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her down into a passionate kiss as she slowly started moving. After all the mutual teasing, there was no way either of them would last long. Their hips moved in harmony and their hands explored each other's bodies, hungry for more. 

When Cara's hips slowed, Brandon rolled on top of her, cradling her softly in his arms as he picked up the pace again, his shoulder tingling as she bit into him to stifle her moans.

"Hey," He mumbled breathlessly, "Don't. I wanna hear you."

She released his shoulder, kissing along his neck as her moans flowed freely. Brandon growled into her ear, his face burying in the pillow as his thrusts slowed and became more purposeful.

"Come for me, B," Cara whispered, tugging on his hair.

Brandon slowed, their eyes meeting as the pleasure building in Cara began to topple over the edge. She moaned his name against his lips, and the sound of that alone would have been enough to bring Brandon to his end. 

All it took was a couple more uneven thrusts as Cara whimpered until Brandon stilled, his stomach tensing as he came, Cara's lips on his collarbone providing an extra sensation that made his arms shake. 

Brandon collapsed on top of her both of them giggling in the wake of ecstasy as their breathing and heart rates slowed. 

"Wow."

"Yeah," Cara smiled, "That sums it up."

"We've been missing out on this for ten years?"

"Mmm, this and so much more."

Brandon raised an eyebrow at her as he rolled onto his side, his fingers grazing up her stomach and sternum and resting over her heart. She knew he could feel it speed up under his touch. 

"I'm listening."

Cara laughed, kissing his bicep as he propped his head in his hand.

"We've got time. Let's find out."

Brandon groaned as he leaned in to kiss her, his fingers carding through her hair as she held onto his arm.


	20. Her Shade Of Love

Brandon's POV

Brandon stirred in his sleep as faint clicking sounds invaded his dreams. He hummed and reached out for Cara, his hand meeting only air and sheets before he reluctantly opened one eye. 

"Mornin', handsome," Cara smiled, bending over the bed to kiss him. 

He mumbled a response, his croaky voice a product of their late night activities. And once in the early morning. They had both woken at dawn, unable to keep their hands off each other as their sleepy bodies and minds welcomed in a new day. 

"Time?"

Cara snorted. He had meant to ask 'what time is it?' but only one word had made its way out of his mouth.

"It's 10am, babe. You hungry? Or is your mouth not working yet?"

Brandon opened his eye again as Cara perched on the edge of the bed, biting into a strawberry as she watched him with amusement. He realised the clicking noises from before had been from her rifling through the options on their room service tray.

"Shhhh, so tired," He rolled onto his stomach and smiled, keeping his eyes shut.

The smell of nectarines made his stomach grumble. Opening one eye again, he giggled as he saw one floating right in front of his face. Cara tapped against his lips with the nectarine until he relented, sitting up and pulling the covers around his waist as he took a bite of the sweet fruit. 

Brandon leant forward until his lips met Cara's. Their kiss was slow and lazy, and filled with the comfort of total familiarity. It was kind of crazy how quickly they'd fallen back into place with each other.

"Should I be offended you're more enticed by a nectarine than by me to wake up in the morning?" Cara mumbled against his lips.

He could feel her smiling and it made his heart soar. He could quite happily never leave this room again.

He pulled away from her lips and took her in. Her hair was messy and her eyeliner from the previous night was smudged under her eyes. She was wearing his dress shirt, only three of the middle buttons done up leaving the top and bottom hanging temptingly open. 

Brandon finished his nectarine as he looked at her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he threw the pit into the trashcan. Without warning, he grabbed the back of Cara's knees and pulled her towards him, causing her to land on her back with a cry.

"See, I could probably eat you too," He smirked up at her, sliding onto his stomach and making himself comfortable between her legs. 

Cara groaned, "Damn. That was corny."

Brandon nuzzled his nose against her core and she gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair. He fumbled with the buttons on her shirt until it fell open, running his hands up and over her hipbones and ribs. Cara raised her head to look at him, rolling her eyes when she saw him looking right back at her.

"You can't tease me again."

"I can."

"I'll leave."

"Doubt it."

She whined.

"Fine," She said eventually, "That's cool, I'll just..."

Her hand slid down her body and she flicked Brandon on the nose before starting to work on herself. Brandon let out an involuntary moan before grabbing her wrist, giggling as she nudged his side with her knee. As much as he would be very down to watch her pleasure herself, he couldn't help but insist that this time it was his job. He had ten years to make up for.

"Oh my god, please!" She whined as he kissed her clit gently. 

\--

Cara's POV

She kind of hated to admit how much of a turn on Brandon's large hands wrapped around her wrists was. Her mind wandered back to when he had gently squeezed her neck the previous night. That had been interesting.

"Can I ask you something?"

Brandon's head popped up from between her legs. He still wasn't using his mouth how she wanted him too, so she may as well get something else out of it in the meantime.

"Shoot."

"Are we-- Do you think-- Ok no, never mind just please fucking use your tongue."

Brandon giggled and let go of her wrist, interlocking their fingers instead. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"I will. But what's your question?"

"It's stupid."

"Great, tell me more."

Cara sighed and pushed herself up onto her elbows. She almost let out a laugh. Brandon was looking up at her with a genuinely curious expression with his face inches away from her pussy. Why was she starting a conversation right now?

"Fine, ok," She sighed, looking him in the eye, "Are you kinkier when you're with me or are you just kinky full stop?"

Brandon's mouth dropped open.

"I mean," She said quickly, "I personally have had experiences at both ends of the spectrum right, but like the things I want you to do to me and the things I want to do to you... I'm just curious if it's just how I feel when I'm with you or if it's mutual."

Brandon thought for a moment, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I have had incredibly boring sex for most of my life," He said eventually, his earnest face making her giggle a little, "Mostly because things I want to do haven't lined up with things my partner wants to do so we just do the obvious middle ground."

Cara nodded. 

"But when either of us wants something, we both are into it," She finished. 

Brandon hummed in agreement.

"And I would do pretty much anything to get to see your o face so anything you wanna try is probably fine with me," He smirked.

"Ok, that's hot," Cara giggled, blushing a little even though this conversation had been her idea.

Brandon's eyes darkened again and he slowly lowered his face until he could place a slow lick between her legs. They only lost eye contact when Cara's head involuntarily rolled back. 

Brandon hummed happily as he worked her, clearly enjoying the moans she was (as he requested) no longer stifling in any way. His hands gently ran along her hips as her foot grazed his back. When her fingernails scratched his scalp he let out little puffs of air through his nose that set her on fire. 

She groaned as he started to pump into her with one of his long fingers.

"Fuck," She breathed, "I love your hands."

Brandon smiled against her, inserting another finger as she writhed.

"I know."

He curled his fingers as he pumped them, his tongue swirling in tight circles around her nub as she cried out. She didn't need to tell him she was close when her hips started to lift off the bed and his tongue went crazy - doing things she didn't even know were possible.

"Brandon!" She yelped as he added another finger and began moving furiously, tipping her over the edge in a blur of moans and gasps and expletives. 

Cara stared at the ceiling, catching her breath and waiting for her vision to return to normal as Brandon gently brought her down from her high. She sighed as he appeared over her, releasing his fingers from his mouth with a pop. That was a sight that she was never going to be able to be cool about.

He grinned and pecked a kiss against her lips, before reaching over her to the bowl of strawberries. She took a bite as he held it for her, his pupils dilating as she teased him with the slow movement of her lips around the fruit. 

When Brandon let out a low moan of his own, Cara's body tingled. She had no idea how she was going to get through this weekend alive, but she could not imagine a better way to go.


	21. Maybe We Were Just Too Young

Cara's POV

Cara rubbed her foot against the back of her other leg. Why was she wearing heels today? The day her desk chair broke? She was pretty convinced this was the universe bringing her down to earth after her magical weekend with Brandon. 

He had nearly made her miss her flight as they made out in his car, her straddling him in the driver's seat. She had, admittedly, had a flash of a moment where she considered quitting her job and never leaving the vehicle. 

"Stop daydreaming about getting some Vegas dick and go check on Mr Quinn," Tony chuckled as he walked through the door, "He's complaining about his room temperature."

"But I want to daydream about getting some Vegas dick," Cara whined, laying her head against the counter dramatically.

"Don't we all! Just do it more secretively like everyone else!"

She snorted and stretched her tired body. Tony was right. She wasn't being paid for replaying her memories over and over again, however much she wanted to. 

Cara fulfilled her duties for most of the day in a trance. She was tired from her journey and missing Brandon more than she would care to admit. The moment the clock struck 10, she locked herself in her office and perched on her desk, leaning back on the wall.

She keyed in the number and closed her eyes as the dial tone began. 

"Hello?"

"Is this Brendon Urie?"

Brandon giggled, his voice sounding a little echoey. 

"Hey darlin'. Why didn't your number come up?"

"I'm calling from the office."

She was grinning like an idiot at the ceiling. As much as she wanted to stop being so overdramatic, she had really missed his voice.

"Oh of course. Are you wearing your uniform?"

"I don't have a uniform. But yeah, creep, I am wearing that tight black skirt and the heels you like."

Cara snickered as Brandon groaned. She heard a door click. 

"Wait, are you trying to get me to talk dirty to you while you're with people?"

He giggled.

"No! I mean... Ok kinda, yeah. I'm viewing a house."

She sat up a little straighter. He'd mentioned driving to Utah to start looking for a place, but she had no idea it would be this soon.

"Wow, Brandon. That's a big step."

Brandon sighed, "Yeah. I don't know what to think. It's nice. But they're all gonna be nice, my realtor isn't showing me anything under $8 mil."

"This is such a ridiculous problem to have."

Brandon let out a laugh and she smiled. His life was insane now. She couldn't not tease him about it.

"I know."

"Wait, can I facetime you?"

"Yes! I wanna see your butt."

"Brandon! I mean so I can see the house!"

"Oh yeah, that too."

\--

Brandon's POV

Brandon hit 'accept' on Cara's video call so enthusiastically he nearly knocked his phone out of his hand.

"Hi!"

Cara laughed, "Hey! Why do you sound so surprised, you knew I was calling you."

He shrugged, "I'm happy to see your face."

Cara ran a hand through her hair, a nervous habit that hadn't changed since the day he met her. It was cute that she was still as excited by him as he was by her.

"That doesn't mean I don't wanna see your butt."

She laughed out loud, before placing her phone on her desk. Her tongue poked out of her mouth as she concentrated on getting it to stay upright. 

"You're such a perv."

"I miss your butt, it's a cute butt."

Cara flipped him off but turned and walked away from the camera. Brandon licked his lips as her hips swayed, the tight black material even more heart-stopping than he remembered. He had several idea about what he wanted to do with that.

"God. You're so perfect."

"Ok, I'm not gonna strip for you in my office so control yourself," She snorted as she returned to her phone, sticking her tongue out. 

Brandon giggled, "I am more than willing to pay for you to get a room and--"

"Brandon!"

He grinned, "I'm kidding. How was work?"

"Fine! My desk chair fell apart this morning so I've been on my feet pretty much all day but it's been relatively breezy. There's a dumb hotel management awards thing coming up that Tony is really excited about. I'm trying to figure out how to get out of it."

"You have to go! What if you win?"

"Bray, this isn't the Grammys we're talking about," She chuckled, "This is the 'hotel management awards'. Also, I won't win. The hotel might do pretty well and that's the main thing."

"Jokes on you," Brandon smiled back, "We never won a Grammy."

Cara laughed.

"Ok, dummy. Let's see the house."

Brandon frowned at his phone as he figured out how to switch cameras with some instruction from Cara. He gave her the tour, turning the camera whichever way she said. 

"So?" He asked, waving to his realtor who was waiting for him in the driveway.

"It's not you," Cara shrugged, "Firstly, it's in a city that isn't Vegas. You're gonna prefer something a little less busy - maybe the mountains? But also, it's so dark. And sure it has a cinema room and an indoor swimming pool but honestly Bray, if you don't have good living space and somewhere for you to be creative, it isn't going to work for you."

Brandon hummed. He hadn't even considered that he would have to set up his piano in the living room. 

"It feels like a bachelor pad."

"Dare I suggest that your realtor probably thinks that's what a single rockstar is looking for?"

"I'm not single," He said quickly, even though he knew she meant that there was no ring on his finger or partner looking at houses with him.

"I know, B. But wouldn't that style work for you right now? Not that house, but something similar." 

Brandon paused. Unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say. 

"No. I'm buying a house for the future. There are only... It only has two bedrooms."

Cara nodded and he knew she understood what he meant. They had talked about kids back when they still were kids themselves. They hadn't talked about it recently but she knew him well enough to know that was always his plan. 

"That's smart," She smiled slightly, "Ronnie will want a whole wing to himself."


	22. The Streets of Persuasion

Cara's POV

Cara made stupid faces at Brandon as he tried to smile politely for a picture with some staff from one of her rival hotels. He held it together until the flash went off, before breaking into giggles. Excusing himself, he walked over to her, giving her butt a squeeze as he leaned on the bar beside her.

"How you doing?" He smiled, watching her sip her drink. 

She made sure to hollow her cheeks slightly around the straw and Brandon sighed. 

"We are in public, Cara."

Cara released the straw with a pop and laughed as he shook his head and turned away, examining the stage where some mediocre band was entertaining the crowd between awards categories. When she had told him that she would (albeit reluctantly) be attending the hotel management awards, he had insisted on flying in to be her date. No matter how dumb she warned him it would be. 

"I'm bored," She replied honestly, "I wish our categories weren't so late in the evening."

Brandon nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist, nuzzling his face into her neck and making her smile.

"I know. All awards shows are the same."

"Ok but you get to look at Beyonce and The Strokes," She frowned, "All I can see from here is that Kevin from accounting is getting a little too friendly with the competition."

She grimaced as she indicated the pair a couple of tables away from the bar. Alison had her head down, biting into her hand, while Kevin's arm moved vigorously under the table between her legs.

"I hope for Alison's sake he didn't eat the chilli wings."

Brandon giggled and kissed her temple.

"Trust me, that shit happens at big awards shows too."

Cara cocked her head to one side.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"Ever got any action at an awards show then, stud?"

Brandon blushed and looked at his shoes as Cara toyed with the buttons on the front of his shirt.

"No. I mean-- I've gone home with people but-- I haven't-- I don't--"

"You're scared of being caught?"

Brandon looked at her, a strange expression on his face. 

"I haven't had anyone worth being caught for."

Cara smiled, finishing her drink and taking his hand as she led him through the doors into an isolated hallway.

"No way!" Brandon giggled, putting up no resistance despite his vocal protests, "We can't! Your award!"

"Isn't being presented for ages yet," Cara finished, letting go of his hand and pulling out a bobby pin from her hair, "and besides, I won't win."

She let go of Brandon's hand and dropped into a crouching position by a locked door.

"Oh my gosh, are you picking that lock?!" 

"Yes, now shhhh and make sure no one sees us."

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"You think I've never locked myself out of rooms back at my hotel? Besides, think of it this way," She grinned as the lock clicked and the door swung open, "A lock on the outside means no one is just gonna walk in."

Brandon growled and scooped her into his arms, kicking the door shut behind them as their mouths crashed together. Cara hit the light switch, revealing that the room was someone's office. Brandon placed Cara on top of the desk as they made out, her legs pulling him tighter to her as she moaned at his touch. 

\--

Brandon's POV

The adrenaline was pumping through his veins as Cara began to fumble with the zipper on his pants, shoving them down and palming him over his briefs. He breathed out against her lips, letting her take the lead as her hand started to stroke up and down his length. It wasn't long before he was hard, although he still couldn't quite believe what was happening. 

Cara smiled into the kiss as he leant over her, placing his hands on the cool wood of the desk on either side of her hips. He was losing the brain function to do just about anything, the way she was working him was driving him crazy. 

"What do you want?" Cara mumbling, her lips brushing his as she spoke.

She squeezed his hard-on through his briefs and he groaned. He looked her in the eye as he tried to figure out an answer to her question. 

"I want your mouth."

Cara's eyebrows raised, as if she hadn't been expecting him to be so direct about it. That was fair, he wasn't sure he had been expecting himself to be so direct about it. She smirked at him and pushed him backwards. 

As Brandon tried to catch his breath and control the throbbing in his briefs, Cara walked over to the small couch in the room, scooping up a cushion and throwing it at his feet.

"Get comfortable," She winked.

His whole body shivered as he leaned back, his butt against the desk and his feet on either side of the cushion. Cara grinned at his dishevelled face as she slowly dropped to her knees in front of him.

"Holy shit," He groaned, just the sight of her doing so making him twitch in his briefs.

"This is gonna be pretty easy huh," Cara chuckled as she tugged on the waistband of his briefs until his cock sprang free.

"Yeah," He let out a breathy giggle, his hand winding in her hair as he watched her get comfortable.

Cara kept eye contact with him as she took him in her hand, her thumb spreading pre-cum around his tip as he melted at her touch. His legs visibly shook as she kitten licked his slit, making her laugh a little. 

"Are we past the point of teasing?" She looked up at him earnestly.

"I really don't wanna mess up your hair or makeup or dress," Brandon responded.

Cara nodded her understanding and took him in her mouth, sliding down his length slowly. His fist tightened in her hair as he hit the back of her throat. She hollowed her cheeks as she moved back up, before swirling her tongue around his tip. Brandon let out an animalistic groan and she seemed to make a decision, her hand wrapping around his base as the other gave her balance against his leg.

Taking a deep breath, Cara repeated her movement, this time only pausing when he hit the back of her throat, taking him the whole way until her nose touched his skin. Brandon let out a cry, unable to stop himself from bucking slightly into her mouth. As Cara began to bob her head quickly, he was unable to stand it anymore.

"FUCK, Cara--" He breathed, "I'm gonna--"

He didn't need to finish his sentence before she pulled away slightly, keeping his tip in her mouth as she pumped him with her hand. Brandon gasped as he released, his head dropping backwards as his hands gripped into her hair. Cara helped him ride out his high, only popping off him when she felt him start to soften. 

Brandon helped her to her feet again, pulling her against him and kissing her passionately.

"You're--" He started, shaking his head in disbelief.

A sharp knock on the door made him jump and Cara laughed into his chest as a voice called out.

"Um, this room is off limits."

"I think you were too loud," She snickered against his neck and Brandon smacked her ass lightly.

Pulling themselves together, they slipped out of the room, apologising to the maintenance person on the other side of the door. 

Cara laughed as Brandon breathed out a sigh of embarrassment as they returned to the hall, slipping into the room virtually unnoticed and weaving their way to their table. Tony shot them a knowing look and tapped his watch and Cara raised her hand in apology.

"And our manager of the year award goes to... Cara Delaney of The Conrad!"


	23. When The Nights Get Wild

Brandon's POV

Brandon watched, pride written all over his face, as Cara thanked those who congratulated her. They had ended up staying at the event for much longer than anticipated after her surprise victory, but Cara had reached her limit and was ready to go. Between the time he had stepped outside the main hall to call a car and tried to rejoin her, a whole new group had swarmed to congratulate her.

She sent him a help signal - an overdramatic drowning mime - but he just laughed and let her enjoy her moment. Leaning against the bar, he smiled sleepily as Tony approached him and shook his hand.

"I've been trying to get through her adoring fans for like twenty minutes," Tony snickered.

"It's crazy. Does she know these people?"

"Not all of them. Some know her by reputation, some by name, some definitely want to give her job offers."

Brandon cocked his head and looked at Tony.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. I know this stuff looks dumb, and it is, but this news will go national. Hotels all over the country will want her."

Brandon nodded. He knew Cara hadn't planned to stay in New York all her life. He wondered if this would give her the opportunity to change things up. 

"Anyway, Brandon," Tony smiled, "Since I can't get through to her, this is a small gift. From all the staff at The Conrad."

He slipped a card into Brandon's hand with a nod and walked off. Brandon flipped the card over and squinted at the gold writing in the dim light.

Bridal Suite  
Penthouse

Many congratulations from all at The Conrad

"Whatcha got there?" Cara slid up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing his shoulder gently.

"Present from Tony, for you."

Cara frowned and took the card from him, catching on to what it signified much faster than he had.

"Oh my god."

"That's nice of them."

"He is such a pervert!" Cara snickered, "It's only because he's living vicariously through me."

Brandon furrowed his brows in question. Cara put her hands on his shoulders as she stood in front of him.

"He wants to fuck you, Brandon. But since he can't and I can, he wants the details from me."

"Oh," Brandon giggled, "And will you tell him?"

Cara smirked back at him, "If you give me something interesting to tell."

Brandon pulled her close, looking at his phone as it buzzed in his hand. Their car was outside.

"Let's go find out, huh?"

\--

Cara's POV

The ride to their hotel was fraught with sexual tension. Brandon's hand was too far up her thigh, his long fingers making her squirm as he massaged her skin slowly. She wasn't behaving that much better, to be fair, having leaned over Brandon more than necessary as she found his seatbelt for him to give him a view down the front of her dress.

As they stood in the elevator, having quickly bypassed Cara's coworkers in the lobby, Brandon was studiously staring at the door in front of them. His hand was tightly attached to hers and she sensed he didn't trust himself to even look at her until they had some privacy when they were both feeling this way.

She led the way as the door pinged open, walking the short distance to the bridal suite and sliding the key card before pushing the door open.

The moment they had crossed the threshold, Brandon grabbed her hips and pushed her up against the wall. His mouth began attacking the back of her neck and shoulders. She could already feel his hard-on through his pants and her skin tingled at the thought of what he had been planning in the silence that had gotten him so worked up already.

She moaned as Brandon's large hand slid around her neck, squeezing gently as he ground his hips against her ass.

"You look so fucking good," Brandon whispered into her ear, rutting his hips against her to punctuate each word, "I've barely been able to contain myself all night."

Cara smiled over her shoulder, shimmying her ass against him and revelling in his noises.

"That probably has something to do with the fact your cock still has my lipstick prints on it," She teased.

Brandon growled against her, spinning her round and holding her hips flush against the wall.

He kissed her, and it was a kiss full of the tenderness and love that underlay their relationship. Their bodies were hungry for each other, but Cara could sense the genuine and raw emotion Brandon was feeling as sharply as her.

He looked in her eyes before he began to let his lips travel down her neck and over her cleavage, spending more time there than was strictly necessary. His hands on her hips held her in place no matter how much she writhed as his mouth travelled over her, kissing her stomach through her tight dress.

When Brandon reached a kneeling position, he looked up at her as he slid his hands under her skirt, smirking as she whined at his touch. His fingers hooked over her panties and pulled them down her legs, lifting her ankles one at a time so he could throw them across the room.

He placed a kiss on the inside of her knee and she whimpered. Looking up at her through his long lashes, he gently ran his hands up and down her thighs.

"Do you trust me?" He asked quietly.

Cara shivered at the question. And the fact Brandon's face was once again so close and yet so far from where she wanted him.

"Completely."

Brandon's eyes crinkled as he smiled and nodded. Without a further word he pushed her skirt up to her waist and brought her legs over his shoulders. He held her hips tightly as he stood up. Cara yelped as her back slid up the wall, Brandon's breath hot on her core.

If anything she was impressed by his upper body strength.

"You ok up there?" Brandon squeezed her hips and looked up at her.

Cara chuckled as she looked back down at him, "Yeah! I've never seen the room from this angle."

Brandon giggled and shuffled her closer to his mouth.

"Wait, are you ok?" She asked quickly, her voice breaking slightly as desire took over again.

Brandon grinned, "Absolutely! I've always wanted to try this. You might wanna hold on to something."

Cara had barely processed what he had said before he delved his tongue into her, causing her to cry out as one hand flew to the back of his head and the other gripped the top of the doorframe.

"I can feel you smirking!" She scolded him breathlessly, giggling as he raised his eyebrows and got back to work.

The next minutes were a blur, her boyfriend's tongue working her better than anything else she had ever experienced as he sucked and licked and kissed her enthusiastically. He adjusted his hands so they were under her ass, before shaking his face slightly against her. Cara screamed.

"Fucking hell, Brandon--" She moaned, unable to finish her sentence before he did it again.

Cara screamed as she came, her knees tightening around his shoulders and her fingers curling in his hair. Brandon moaned against her as she shook in the aftermath. When she had satisfactorily enjoyed the comedown, she tugged his hair.

Brandon held her waist as she untangled her legs, unsure they would still work when he set her back on solid earth. He giggled as she collapsed into him, her face buried in the crook of his neck as she caught her breath.

"Was that ok?" He asked quietly.

She looked at him incredulously, but he didn't even look like he was teasing. He looked genuinely concerned.

"Brandon, that's probably the best orgasm I've ever had."

Brandon blushed and kissed her softly.

"The best so far," He smiled.

Cara gasped against his lips as his hard-on poked her hip. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his pants.

"How are we gonna get the same for you?" She mumbled against his lips.

Brandon smiled as he brushed her hair out of her face.

"Oh don't worry," He said lowly, "We aren't done yet."


	24. Like A Stumbling Ghost

Brandon's POV

"I have a couple of ideas rolling around, should I start?" Brandon asked, flicking through his notes on his phone, "I'm tending more towards a pop sound, but we can see where it goes."

Dave and Mark exchanged glances.

"Uh oh," Ronnie sighed.

Brandon raised his eyebrows.

"Spit it out."

"I need a break," Mark said bluntly, "I'm going to study in Italy for a little while. It's all sorted."

Brandon sighed in frustration, running his hand through his lengthening hair. It had been way too long since he got it cut.

"Dave?"

"I need to see my son."

"Are you guys serious right now?"

Brandon knew he was being shorter with them than he should be. It wasn't like this was brand new information. He was just bummed about having to leave Cara again. All she'd left him with was a substantial hickey on his chest, and regrets about not asking her to consider jobs in Utah. Plus, he had just gotten some news from his publicist that was weighing heavy on him.

"About our lives?" Dave snorted, "Yeah Brandon, pretty fucking serious."

"So you all wanted to meet in our studio to say we won't be using our studio in the near future? Nice."

"Oooookay," Ronnie clapped his hands and stood up, "Clearly, we need to take a break from this conversation. Let everyone process the information." He looked pointedly at Brandon, who shrugged and stormed out of the room.

He was in his car and turning the ignition when his passenger door opened and Ronnie climbed in.

"Ronnie, I have to go."

"Or you'll turn into a pumpkin?" Ronnie smiled, fastening his seatbelt stubbornly, "Take me with you, Cinderella."

"Not in the mood."

"I can see that. So I'm coming with you to stop you from driving off a cliff."

"I'm fine."

"Ok. So where we going?"

Brandon grumbled some expletives when he realised he couldn't win, backing out of his parking space and taking off down the highway. Ronnie squinted at the road.

"We're going nowhere. Seems fitting," Brandon huffed.

Ronnie nodded. "Drive fast in any direction, I've been there."

"I don't want to talk."

"Suit yourself."

Ronnie wound down his window and wiggled his fingers in the wind as Brandon pressed his foot further and further on the accelerator. The sun was setting and he wanted to make the most of the last few minutes of light before he had to worry about slowing down to account for poor visibility on the dark dusty road.

"A fucking break," He sighed eventually, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"Pretty sure 'a fucking break' is what you just took when you flew to New York to see your girl."

"Ha ha."

"It's not like we didn't see this coming, Bray."

"It had to be today."

Ronnie turned in his seat to look at Brandon curiously. Brandon studiously pouted at the road. He did not want to talk about it.

"Ok so," He sighed, cracking under Ronnie's gaze way quicker than he thought he would, "Apparently Cara will be fielding job offers after winning her award."

"Oh, what a tragedy. My girlfriend is beautiful, smart and talented."

"Shut up," Brandon smiled despite himself, his face quickly falling back into a frown, "I don't think she's even considering Utah or Nevada."

"Why would she?"

"Ronnie! Because I'm here!"

"Mhmm, so then I assume you asked her to move closer to you?"

Brandon pouted at the road again.

"Thought not," Ronnie chuckled, "That woman is many things, but she's not a mindreader. Besides, wasn't lack of communication kinda your problem the first time round?"

"I wish you wouldn't say that about my girlfriend."

"Which bit?"

"That she's 'many things'."

Ronnie snorted, "You're forgetting we both saw her do her thing in that strip club, Brando."

"I wish you would forget that," Brandon groaned, smiling underneath it.

\--

Cara's POV

"Well, Miss Delaney, you are obviously extremely well qualified for the post," The handsome man whose name she had forgotten smiled warmly, "And your answers today have been very impressive."

Cara smiled confidently. What she hoped was confidently. Actually she wanted to die. This was her first interview for a new, better paid job. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to take this exact one if she had options, but that didn't stop her pride from wanting the offer.

"I have one further question, Daniel, if I may."

Daniel. Right. He didn't look like a Daniel. Cara turned her attention to the woman beside him. Andrea. She looked like an Andrea.

"We don't want any scandal attached to our name," Andrea's smile was tinged with sympathy or disdain, Cara couldn't tell.

"Pardon?" Cara frowned.

"Well... You must understand that your... actions... affect us very deeply. Things you do can reflect badly on us."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're referring to."

"Well, let me help you," Andrea smiled. It was a bitter smile. Cara's stomach flipped.

Andrea turned her computer screen to reveal a news article. Cara's heart skipped at the headline.

Cold heart of a KILLER  
Brandon Flowers' ex spills all: how he cheated and kicked her out of their long term home, weeks after finding out she was pregnant.

And underneath, a picture of her, smiling with her manager of the year award, branded with the word 'home-wrecker'.

"Does that help at all?" Andrea smiled, seeming to enjoy Cara's discomfort.

"Yes, that makes things much clearer," Cara smiled over-sweetly back, "I won't waste anymore of your time. Thank you for meeting with me."

Standing up with whatever of her dignity she had left, Cara turned on her heel and walked out the door. She didn't stop until she reached her flat. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her instinct was to call Brandon. She didn't believe Holly's story for a second, but this could be even more devastating for his career than for hers.

He picked up on the second ring, and she could hear the sound of the road in the background.

"Stop the car, that's so dangerous."

He giggled on the other end of the line, but she heard his indicator go on before the road noise stopped.

"Yes ma'am."

"Brandon, there's something you need to see. It's Holly, she--"

"Fuck," Brandon groaned, "How did you find out?"

Cara felt like she was going to vomit. She dropped onto her floor with a soft thud. She could hear a voice asking Brandon something on the other end of the line.

"You," She stuttered, "You knew about this already?"

"Yeah," Brandon said quietly, "We got a heads up from a buddy in the magazine. My publicist is working on damage control right now."

"When?"

"A couple of days ago."

"And you didn't tell me?" Her voice was rising. So were the frustration tears she had been trying to hold back.

"Woah, Cara, baby," Brandon soothed, "I didn't want you to worry."

"Brandon what the fuck," She yelled, "You wanna know how I knew? Someone threw it in my face in an interview I was in today. It was humiliating."

"Shit, Cara, I thought--"

"My whole name is in that article! A picture of my face branded with the title 'home-wrecker'!"

"Yeah, I'm in it too, you know," He said irritably, "This shit happens sometimes."

"Well I wouldn't know, I didn't get to be part of that the first time."

"Cara, this is no more pleasant for me than it is for you--"

Cara laughed in disbelief. He seriously thought it was the same. Like he didn't have millions of adoring fans and a whole damage control strategy. Like these things didn't reflect a million times worse on the 'other woman' than they ever did on the man.

Like she hadn't already been through this ten years ago.

All of her repressed anger from having to learn about his life and their relationship through magazines rather than from him bubbled to the surface.

"Well, I expect to hear about your recovery from this 'damage' through some magazine sent to me by a load of my friends." Cara snapped, referring to how many people had sent her pictures of Brandon looking wasted and surrounded by women after he left for London.

"What?"

"Is she pregnant?" Cara asked, so quietly she wasn't even sure he would hear.

"Oh my god, no! Or at least if she is it isn't mine! Do you really think I would do that?"

"I have to go," Cara sighed, hanging up her phone and turning it off. She threw it onto her bed and banged her head gently against the wall.


	25. I Recognise The Girl

Cara's POV

"Yeah, fine. I'll see you then," Cara muttered, flipping through her resignation papers.

"We should talk."

"I know that, Brandon. I'll see you in a couple of days. Bye."

Hanging up her phone, she threw it forcefully against the couch. She just had to get her frustration out somehow. It had been a couple of weeks since their fight, and although they had spoken almost every other day, conversations had been short and irritable from both of them. It made her feel physically ill to be like this with him. But she didn't want to voice her issues over the phone. She had no idea how he would take it.

They were finally going to be forced to have the conversation they should have had all those years ago.

Cara shook her head and stood up. She was flying to Utah in a couple of days to see a Killers show and spend the weekend with Brandon. Right now, she had to do the best she could for the hotel she had worked so hard on before she handed the reins to Tony.

"How you holding up?" Tony asked, appearing as soon as she walked out of the door.

"Are you stalking me?"

Tony laughed and held his hands up, "Kinda. There's someone here to see you but I didn't know-- I wasn't sure--"

"Spit it out, Tony."

"His ex. I recognise her from last time. She hasn't said anything about it being you she wants to speak to precisely but she is asking for the manager."

"Shit," She groaned, "Thanks for the heads up. And sorry I'm being a bitch."

"Hey," Tony shrugged, "We all go through personal shit. Your personal shit happens to be public shit. That's not on you. Do what you gotta do."

Cara smiled. She had been a mess the day after her call with Brandon, and Tony had made her sit down in their shared office and tell him everything,

"God, I love you. I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Love you too, babe. If you need to hide a body you know where I am."

Cara snorted and ruffled her hair in the mirror. She looked good. That was something. She took a deep breath and marched to the front desk. Holly was perched on the edge of a futon in the lobby. Her skintight blue dress sure wasn't hiding much, and she didn't look pregnant... But Cara tried to reserve judgement.

"Holly," She smiled warmly, "Welcome back to The Conrad. How can I help?"

"Wow," Holly stood and smiled, "You're still the manager here! That's a surprise!"

"I am. And I'm here to make your stay as comfortable as possible."

"Ok, let's cut the bullshit," Holly sighed, irritated she wasn't getting a rise out of Cara.

"Fine. How's the baby?"

"There is no baby, and I think you know that."

Cara sighed in relief. She didn't even try to hide it.

"There must be some trouble in paradise if you really thought he would do that," Holly smirked.

"He would never intentionally do it," Cara replied honestly, "I was concerned there might have been an accident."

Holly rolled her eyes, "As if I would ever put this body through that."

Cara laughed. She was pretty sure she had used that exact line a couple of times in her twenties. Except her tone had been jokey rather than bitter.

"Fair enough. So why?"

"Because it hurts to hear your boyfriend say another woman's name in his sleep when you kiss his neck."

Cara startled. Holly looked deflated. Her bravado had dissipated entirely, and she was refusing to meet Cara's eye. It was a reaction Cara recognised.

"Holly, I'm so sorry. He was probably just-- Overwhelmed. Seeing him again messed with my head and I'm sure he went through the same--"

"No," Holly snapped, "This was before you two saw each other again. This was before I even knew who you were. The fourth or fifth time he said your name I had to ask him who you were."

They stood in silence. Cara trying to process this new information. Holly looking like a weight had been lifted off her.

"Listen, I'm not going to apologise. Because we both know I wouldn't mean it," Holly sighed, "But I'm pretty sure he loves you. So, you two should get your shit together."

Cara laughed. The women shared an understanding smile, before Holly disappeared into the elevator.

\--

Brandon's POV

"So I'm figuring we can do Heart of A Girl and River with that little bit of extra time, what do you think?"

Brandon was furrowed over his tiny desk in his hotel room. Ronnie was throwing M&Ms into his own mouth while he lay on the bed.

"I think you need to talk to me about that heated conversation you had out on the balcony. I could feel the energy crackling between here and New York. And it's not the good kind of energy."

Brandon sighed. Ronnie hadn't let the subject drop since he'd come back in after a tense conversation with his girlfriend. Was she even his girlfriend right now? He had no idea where they stood, except that she was mad.

"Nothing to talk about. Cara and I are the ones who need to talk."

"Agreed," Ronnie nodded, sitting up and throwing a candy at Brandon's head, "But you and communication don't always go hand in hand, so lets practise."

Brandon frowned at Ronnie over his shoulder.

"We are not doing a roleplay right now."

"Why not? Scared you'll fall in love with me?"

Brandon laughed for the first time in a couple of days. He turned in his chair to look at his friend, nodding his willingness to start.

"Hey daddy," Ronnie said in a high pitched, seductive voice.

Brandon lost it immediately, waving his hands for Ronnie to stop as he held his stomach.

"Ok no no no," He giggled, "This isn't gonna work."

"Yeah," Ronnie screwed up his nose, "I don't wanna get involved in whatever freaky shit you two are into."

Brandon sighed as silence fell between them. He could feel Ronnie's eyes on him. And as always, he needed his friend.

"I don't know what to do, Ron. I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Losing her again."

"And why would that happen?"

"She's really mad. She doesn't trust me."

"She trusts you, idiot," Ronnie shook his head, "When you're honest with her. Which you haven't always been."

"I do what I do to protect her."

"So refusing to call her through the Hot Fuss tour was... protection?"

"I was a mess, Ron. I didn't want her to see me be a mess. She deserved better."

"So you let her get her heart broken when some random chick picked up your phone."

Brandon groaned and slid onto the floor. He covered his face with his hands.

"That was a genuine accident. I still haven't figured out what happened there."

"Fine," Ronnie shrugged, "But if you had called her instead of avoiding her, you could have fixed it."

Brandon grumbled from the floor. Ronnie leaned over to look at him.

"What was that? You're right Ronnie, I can't believe you're so smart and I'm such a dumb-dumb?"

Brandon glared at him.

"Ok, smart-ass, so what do I do now?"

Ronnie swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sighed.

"You stop being a fucking idiot. Be honest with her. About where you want her to live, about what happened ten years ago, and about anything that happens going forward. The only reason she has not to trust you is because of your stubborn-ass withholding information from her."

Brandon sat up on the floor. His friend was right. As well intentioned as he was, he wasn't listening. All Cara had asked of him was that he be honest.

He could be better.


	26. There Is A Place, Here In This House

Cara's POV

Cara shuffled in her boots, observing the crowd of excited Killers fans around her. Half of her had considered going to a hotel, sleeping until after the show so she was ready to face whatever battle with Brandon was awaiting. She was terrified he'd think she overreacted. She was terrified he wouldn't understand why it mattered. She didn't know if she could get past that.

But there was no way she could sit in a cold empty room while the love of her life was in the same city as her. She missed him more than she could ever explain.

Her heart was in her mouth for the whole show, watching him give it his all. They made eye contact a couple of times, the energy between them entirely unreadable. After a while, Cara swallowed her pride and her determination to be stoic and enjoyed the show - dancing and singing along as they went.

The crowd screamed their appreciation as Brandon sipped on his bottle of water.

"Alright, alright," He giggled as the crowd noise surged, "We're gonna do a cover, we hope that you like it."

The crowd drowned him out again and he took the opportunity to take another gulp of water.

"I dedicate it to all the women here tonight," He continued, looking Cara directly in the eye and making her feel like she was floating, "Sometimes it takes us a while to come around. We're sorry."

Her heart fluttered as the opening notes of The Waterboys' The Whole of the Moon began. Brandon almost imperceptibly raised his eyebrows at Cara. She nodded back at him. He smiled a little.

They were gonna figure this out, whatever it took.

At the end of the show Cara slipped to the edge of the arena. After a short debate with the security guy, she was about to call Brandon when Mark appeared.

"She's good," He smiled, holding her arm as she climbed over the barrier.

She smiled appreciatively as he held the door for her.

"How you doing, Stoermer?"

"I'm tired, Delaney," He replied. She liked Mark. He was a man of few words, but they had always gotten along.

"It's tough, this rock n roll stuff."

He broke into a half smile. She knew that was the best she would get. As they rounded the corner to the dressing rooms, Mark held her arm and turned to face her.

"Go easy on him," Mark said, the earnestness in his face catching her off guard. Mark and Brandon hadn't always seen eye to eye, although they both always had the best intentions for the band.

"Is there something I should know?"

"Dave and I want a break. He didn't take it that well."

\--

Brandon's POV

Brandon tugged his t-shirt over his head and ran a towel over his upper body. He'd put everything into that show. He didn't know how long it would be until the four of them were back on stage together.

Dave looked at him a little sheepishly as he entered the dressing room with Ronnie.

"Clear the air, you pair of dickheads," Ronnie said, cheerfully slapping Dave's back on his way to his bag.

"I think this is for the best, Brandon," Dave offered, "I don't mean forever. Neither does Mark."

Brandon sighed.

"I know. Sorry I overreacted. You love your boy, there's nothing wrong or surprising about that."

Their hands clapped together as they made their peace, breaking eye contact only when the dressing room door opened and Cara appeared with Mark.

"Are we good?" Mark asked.

Brandon smiled, only a slight tinge of sadness visible, "Of course."

He turned to Cara, rubbing his hands on the sides of his pants. He didn't remember when they got sweaty, but he was 100% sure it was seeing her that had caused it. Cara opened her mouth to speak, closing it again as she looked to the couch where Dave, Mark and Ronnie were watching them curiously.

"Should we find somewhere a little more private?" She raised an eyebrow at their audience.

Brandon giggled, throwing his towel at the band.

"Yeah. I'm staying not that far from here, if you wanna..."

"Sure."

Ronnie stood up, waving his hands.

"No no no. I'm not letting you two inflict your screaming on innocent hotel goers. Whether the screaming be the good or bad kind."

Cara snorted, Brandon blushed. He raised his eyebrows at Ronnie when he realised his friend was giving him his house key. He had recently bought a relatively small second home in the mountains of Utah.

"Take it," Ronnie smiled, "I'll stay in your hotel."

Brandon sighed, shooting Ronnie an appreciative smile before pulling a hoodie over his bare chest. He held his arm out as Cara smiled a goodbye to the band and left the room. When he shut the door behind them, he was surprised to find her body right against his.

Her kiss was soft and slow, her hands splayed across his chest. She whimpered against his mouth before she pulled away, her eyes fluttering open.

"I love you."

He smiled. They had a hell of a lot to figure out, but right now he just felt an extreme sense of relief to be with her again.

"I love you too."

They drove to Ronnie's in silence. Stopping for takeaway before crashing in Ronnie's kitchen. Cara rejected his offer of a chair and hopped onto the counter, wolfing down her burger and fries with her legs crossed.

When they'd finished, they looked at each other.

"I'm sorry," Cara said softly, "For waiting this long to talk to you."

"No, we needed to do this face to face," Brandon shuffled along the counter until their knees touched, "Talk to me. I'm listening."

"I can't find out updates on our relationship from some gossip magazine. Whether they are true or not, you need to tell me."

"Holly's not pregnant."

"I know. That's not the point."

Brandon sighed and placed his hands on her knees, rubbing her skin gently with his thumbs.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Cara cocked her head as she examined him, "Really? I was expecting more pushback."

"Yeah," Brandon giggled, "A couple of days ago you might have got it. Ronnie helped me understand. Both now and ten years ago it was never my intention to hurt you, but I did. And I didn't listen when you told me you were hurting - which is worse."

"Damn," Cara smiled, "I always knew I was dating the wrong Killer."

Brandon clutched his chest in mock offence. They both breathed out a sigh of relief.

"This conversation isn't over," Cara said quietly, "But I think we can figure things out."

Brandon nodded, leaning back on his hands as he watched her.

"I think so. What do you wanna do in the mean time?"

He grunted as Cara's mouth met his, pushing him back onto the counter as she straddled him, her hands on either side of his head while his kneaded her ass.


	27. Somewhere Outside That Finish Line

Brandon's POV

Brandon moaned as Cara ground against his growing bulge. He could barely think straight with her mouth on his, biting his bottom lip and exploring with her tongue. Eventually, she came up for air, smirking down at him.

"You ok with this?"

Brandon smiled and sat up, pulling her into his lap as he kissed all over her face.

"You mean you don't wanna change which Killer you're dating? I thought Ronnie was your preferred choice."

Cara shrugged, "Ronnie isn't here."

Brandon grabbed her waist, bending her over his lap and pulling the loose fabric of her skirt up. With no warning, he landed a sharp spank on her ass. Cara cried out, her hand squeezing his calf through his pants.

"Oh my god!" She yelped with a giggle.

Brandon's hand landed on her hard again and her body jolted, her moans betraying that she was enjoying it. His hand gently stroked the area he had spanked.

"Is this ok, baby?" He asked softly, his fingers massaging her through her panties while his other hand held her in place as she writhed.

"I haven't said 'nectarine' yet, so yeah, I guess so," She sassed.

Brandon chuckled at the memory. She had teased him that he loved nectarines so much he would probably say it during sex. It had turned into their safe word for when things got a little more intense. The fact that she remembered made him smile.

He spanked her again and she moaned, turning to a whimper as his fingers returned to her panties.

"Brandon, please," She breathed, her nails digging into his leg as she pushed her hips against his hand.

He was deliberately giving her less friction than she wanted, revelling in her sounds and movements as he teased her. He tugged her panties off and threw them to the side, before landing another smack. Cara yelped and called his name.

"Hmm?" He asked, spanking her and massaging her slowly as she recovered.

"Please... daddy."

He pulled her up gently, his hands under her ribs for support. She swung her leg back over him so she was straddling his hips and smiled at him before kissing him.

"I'm intrigued," She mumbled against his lips, "Can I get anything I want from you just by calling you that?"

Brandon giggled and let his lips stray down her jaw and neck, his hands squeezing her boobs as her head lolled back involuntarily.

"You can get anything you want anytime. Unconditionally."

Cara held the back of his head as she looked him in the eye, her face still flushed from before but with the rosy glow of a blush creeping through. She kissed each of his cheeks and his forehead, before softly kissing his lips. His hands wandered to her sides, squeezing her tightly before wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

\--

Cara's POV

Cara sighed happily as Brandon's fingers carded through her hair. Her butt was still tingling, and as much as she was enjoying their intimacy, she needed to know what else his hands could do.

Winking at him, she removed one of his hands from her hair and pushed it between them, not having to direct him as he smirked at her and began gently running his fingers between her legs. She gasped at his touch, falling forward onto his shoulder as her hands grasped his hoodie.

"No, no," Brandon mumbled, pulling her head back up with his free hand, "I wanna see you."

Cara would have responded except for the fact Brandon's finger had just started pumping into her. Her brow furrowed as she focused on the pleasure he was giving her, as well as staying upright. When she opened her eyes, she blushed as she saw him watching her.

"You cannot tell me you're shy," Brandon teased, his thumb drawing circles around her clit.

Cara shuddered and held him tighter, the pleasure building in her core. It took her a few tries to get the sentence out.

"You--Ugh fuck, Bray! You make me nervous."

Brandon smiled and kissed her hard, sliding another finger into her. She moaned into his mouth.

"I can't believe we've found something that phases Cara Delaney!" He grinned, his fingers working her in a way that seemed totally contradictory to his innocent face.

She banged her fist lightly against his shoulder.

"Ok, stop being so smug," She gasped, "You're my kryptonite. Now please-- Oh god, yeah, right there!"

Her head fell back as Brandon's fingers curled and pumped. He knew exactly where her sweet spot was, and exactly what it would take to tip her over the edge. She called his name as she came undone, his fingers slowing to help her ride out her orgasm. She bucked her hips against him and a growl rumbled in his chest that could have made her come again.

Cara took Brandon's hand and brought his fingers to her mouth, taking them in and sucking as she looked him in the eye. Brandon's pupils dilated and his bottom lip dropped as she swirled her tongue, hoping he was imagining his cock in her mouth instead.

She yanked his hoodie over his head and pushed him back on the counter before sliding herself down his body. Popping the button on his pants open, she pulled his hard-on out and applied a slow lick around the tip. Brandon whined and rubbed his face with his hand.

She waited until he was watching before bobbing her head, unable to hold back a smile as his moans filled the room. After a couple of minutes of teasing, he gently tugged on her hair.

She slid up his body until their lips made contact, his hunger evident in the way he kissed her.

"Do you have a condom?"

"Pocket."

"You came prepared," She smiled, reaching her hand into the front pocket of his pants and ripping the packet open with her teeth.

"I'm an optimist," Brandon smiled back, his hands squeezing her hips as he watched her roll the condom down his length.

She paused, looking at him thoughtfully. He cocked his head to the side.

"What's up?"

"I want you to fuck me," She said, her voice low and urgent.

Brandon raised his eyebrows and sat up.

"I can do that."

She hopped onto the floor, closely followed by Brandon who swung her around and lay her back against the counter.

He nudged her legs open and around his waist before pushing himself inside her. They both groaned at the sensation, Brandon kissing up Cara's chest as he waited for her to adjust to his size. The moment she pulled on his hips, he started thrusting - harder and faster with each movement.

Cara's eyes fluttered shut as the pleasure started to build in her core. She whined in protest when Brandon slowed his movements, his thrusts becoming harder as he leant over her and kissed her harshly.

"Look at me," He grumbled, "I want you to look at me."

Butterflies flooded her stomach as she took in the intensity in his eyes. They were filled with desire and tenderness. He sped up again, his eyes burning into hers.

Cara saw stars first, and she was pretty sure that was because Brandon was holding off until she had another orgasm. He slowed as she caught her breath, their lips meeting as the sweat on their chests combined.

His hips sped up again and he exhaled harshly against her mouth. Cara dragged her nails through his hair and down his back.

"Come for me," She moaned in his ear, "Daddy."

Brandon grunted loudly, his hips stilling as she felt his cock pulse inside her. He buried his face in her neck, kissing her sloppily while she ran her fingertips up and down his arms.

Brandon nipped her collarbone with his teeth and she giggled. His breathing was returning to normal. He stood up straight and ran his hands up and down her thighs as his eyes roamed her body.

"You're perfect. You're literally my dream girl."

Cara blushed and rolled her eyes, "Ok, corny."

She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, her smile giving away how much she appreciated his words.

She rubbed their noses together and whispered, "I love you so much."


	28. I've Yet To Meet Her Match

Brandon's POV

Brandon watched as Cara practically inhaled the waffles they were supposed to be sharing. He should have known better.

"Hey, can I get another plate of waffles?" He smiled at the waiter, "Thanks."

Cara stuck her tongue out at him between mouthfuls.

"I would apologise but it's your fault I'm this hungry so..."

Brandon giggled and looked around the small diner. Park City was a family-oriented place, and everywhere there was families, young and old, big and small, enjoying a Saturday breakfast together. Ronnie had started to joke that Brandon was getting broody, noticing how he went shiny eyed every time he saw a baby. Brandon was starting to think he had a point.

He spotted a baby looking at their table and started making funny faces until she giggled. When he looked back at Cara she was shaking her head and smiling at him.

"I want one," He pouted.

"Can I finish my waffles first?"

"I'm serious!"

"Alright," Cara said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and leaning in close, "Which one? I can probably fit one in my purse."

Brandon resumed his pouting until she gave in and pecked a kiss on his cheek.

"Brandon, we just left an inappropriate note on your friend's kitchen counter and now you wanna bring life into the world? You think we're responsible enough for that?"

Brandon giggled. He had suggested they leave a thank you note for Ronnie for letting them stay at his place last night. Cara had agreed and written "Thanks R! We made up on this kitchen counter xo".

"I'm just saying, if I hadn't been a dumbass ten years ago we probably would have had like seven kids by now."

Cara choked on her glass of water.

"Seven?!"

"Minimum," Brandon grinned, enjoying her reaction immensely.

"Oh my god."

"Don't freak out."

"Who's freaking out?" Cara shook her head, "I'm not freaking out."

Brandon returned to making faces at the baby girl who was still watching them. Cara groaned and tapped her foot against his under the table.

"What's up?" Brandon giggled as she hid her face in her hands.

She muttered something unintelligible and he pried her hands apart, pressing a kiss to her lips before looking at her expectantly to repeat herself.

"We can talk about it."

Brandon squealed in glee and Cara rolled her eyes.

"Ok, ok, ok," She laughed as he started tucking into his fresh plate of waffles, "But pump the brakes, Bray. We just had a fight and we have a lot of other shit to figure out first."

Brandon looked up at her earnestly as he munched on his breakfast.

"I know. Is it weird that I kinda enjoyed fighting?"

"You certainly seemed to enjoy spanking me."

He waved his hands as Cara raised her eyebrows, "That's not what I mean! I mean, it was nice to care enough to fight. Holly and I used to disagree on everything but just ignore it."

Cara nodded slowly, "Same with Liam. I know what you mean."

Brandon looked at her carefully, "Did you and Liam ever talk about kids?"

"Yeah," Cara sighed, "We did. Right before the end. We stopped using birth control. Split a couple of months later. Lucky escape, right?"

Brandon frowned at his plate.

"What?" Cara asked, nudging his hand.

"Nothing," Brandon shrugged, "Just crazy how different all this could have been. You could have actually had kids when we saw each other again."

Cara intertwined their fingers and squeezed his hand, shooting him a small smile. She felt just as poignantly how lucky they had been to come back into each other's lives, but she didn't want him to get too much in his own head. He had a habit of dwelling on ideas too much. 

Brandon smiled back and leant over the table to kiss her. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his stomach.

"I did enjoy spanking you though."

\--

Cara's POV

Cara put her feet up on the dash of Brandon's rental truck as he steered them through the city, the volume of snow on the roadside growing with each turn they took towards the mountains. Brandon was tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel. She was way past having to guess that that meant there was something on his mind.

"Ok, Bray," She sat up straight and placed her hand on his thigh, "We started to deal with issues I had with our relationship last night. What's on your mind?"

Brandon bit his lip and looked at her in the mirror. She tilted her head as she squeezed his thigh. This was their chance to start over on the honesty thing they'd never quite gotten right.

"We missed so much time together," He said quietly, his eyes on the road, "I don't wanna miss more."

Cara nodded. But she knew there was more. She stayed quiet as he scratched his chin, waiting for him to be more specific.

"So you know how I want you to see this house?"

She nodded again. That was where they were on their way to. A house that Brandon had found that was, by all of his accounts, absolutely perfect. He wanted her opinion.

"This is a family house. And you are my family. And I know it's not official yet and it's still complicated but... I want you with me." He glanced at her cautiously. "I know you have New York but... Would you consider moving to Utah? There are some great--"

"Brandon," Cara interrupted, "I resigned from The Conrad."

"What? Why? Shit, was this because of the article?"

"Yes and no. Yes I didn't want to have to do any more awkward meetings," She said, quickly squeezing his thigh again to show that she wasn't holding any resentment, "And no because I'm ready to move out of New York."

Brandon smiled at her, so hopeful and doe-eyed that she wanted to scream.

"So... I have looked at some options here," She giggled as he broke into a huge grin, "But it's a really big decision. I need you not to get your hopes up. They mightn't want me anyway, a lot of them are ski resorts which is pretty different to my background."

Brandon stretched his hands on the wheel and sighed. His shoulders visibly dropped.

"Ronnie was right again."

Cara frowned questioningly at him.

"He said I should just tell you that's what I wanted and stop stressing about it."

"Ronnie's a smart guy," She smiled, "But we gotta think about this, Bray. If you're planning on disappearing two years at a time on tour, I can't be in an enormous house in the middle of nowhere on my own."

Brandon raised an eyebrow at her and poked her stomach with his finger. She rolled her eyes. He really did have baby fever. He grinned as he turned back to the road, driving them higher and higher until she saw a row of enormous mansions on the next bend.

The thought of moving in with him didn't scare her at all. The thought of having kids with him didn't scare her at all. She felt more calm than she had in a long time.


	29. I Want You Here With Me

Cara's POV

Cara directed the removal men through to the living room, letting them stack her boxes haphazardly. She was here for the rest of the week, and would rather have them all in one place so she could pick and choose what she went through and when.

There wasn't actually that much stuff. Moving in with Brandon came with the slight problem - if you could even call it a problem - that all of her stuff was too small for their new house. Her furniture was made for a New York apartment not a Park City mansion. She'd left most of it with Emeline.

She yawned into her cup of coffee as the last of the boxes arrived. They had arrived earlier than expected, and she wasn't sure her brain was working properly yet.

"That's everything, ma'am," The driver smiled at her.

"Thanks, how much do I owe you?"

He walked to the panoramic window to give her some privacy to type in her PIN on his machine.

"This is a hell of a view," He shook his head in disbelief, "Hell of a place. You're gonna need more furniture."

Cara laughed. Brandon's essentials had arrived from Vegas - a couch, a bed, some kitchen appliances. He'd only brought a select amount of other stuff with him, leaving a lot of the furniture for the new owners. The rest would arrive later in the week but for now, the place was bare.

His realtor had offered to find an interior designer for him and have everything fully furnished and ready for him to move in, but Brandon and Cara had decided they'd rather take some time and figure out how they wanted things to look.

She jogged up the stairs and into their bedroom. None of it felt real yet. As soon as Brandon had brought her to the house she fell in love with it, with the area, with the hikes he took her on, the neighbourhood they were in. It was everything she'd dreamt about when she was a kid, growing up with her foster family in Las Vegas. It had taken them less than a couple of hours of discussion to decide that she would live with him and arrange some job interviews in the area.

Cara opened her laptop and hit play on a playlist, before digging out some sample pots of paint she had picked up from the hardware store yesterday. They had agreed that the glaring white modern walls of the house were not their style.

As she stood back to admire the stripes of colour she had painted on sheets and stuck to the wall, she heard her skype tone from her laptop.

"Hey darlin'," Brandon smiled when she hit accept.

"Hi gorgeous," She picked up her laptop and sat on their bed, crossing her legs and leaning on her hand. He looked unbelievable, lounging on his side in a hotel bed with his laptop beside him.

He had flown to London for a brief trip to speak with some producers about his loose plans for a solo record in between Killers albums.

"Did you pick up the colours?" Brandon squinted at the screen of his laptop at the wall behind her.

"Yeah! What do you think?"

"I love the yellowy gold one."

"I thought you might, desert rat."

Brandon giggled and scanned his eyes over the rest.

"The blues are too icy," He frowned, "It'll make the rooms feel cold when it snows."

"I agree," She nodded, looking over her shoulder at the choices.

"You've been busy. Isn't it like 7am?"

"Yeah," Cara smiled sleepily, "The movers arrived early. When I said morning I wasn't expecting 6.30."

Brandon giggled and propped himself up on his arm. Cara's mouth almost started watering at the sight of his bare bicep and chest, and she couldn't help but glide her gaze down his torso, the crisp white sheets of his hotel bed covering anything lower than his happy trail. Knowing he slept naked was way too much of a tease to ignore.

\--

Brandon's POV

"What you lookin' at?" Brandon smirked, enjoying the way her lips parted as she looked at him. He wondered if she'd seen him look at her the same way in her shorts and loosely closed shirt.

"Did you just wake up?" Cara said quickly, unable to hide the blush across her cheeks.

"Yeah," Brandon pouted, "It's such a short trip, I'm kinda ignoring the time difference. It's mid-afternoon."

"When are you seeing Ariel?"

"Soon. But do you really wanna talk about that?"

"What would you rather talk about?" Cara smiled at him and his stomach fluttered.

"Whatever is on your mind," He raised his eyebrow in reply.

"Ok," Cara leaned back on her hands, "How's that morning wood?"

Brandon giggled, "It's not morning."

"It's morning here. And you did say you were still on our time."

"Oh my god, can you see it?" He ruffled his sheets over his lower half.

Cara burst out laughing, "No! Do you actually have a hard-on right now?"

Brandon pouted, "It happens."

"So what can we do about that?" She smiled wickedly, sitting up on her knees and unbuttoning a couple of the buttons of her shirt.

She pulled it open until it hung off her shoulders, barely covering her chest. Brandon exhaled loudly as she began to stroke her fingertips across her collarbone. When her fingers returned to her buttons, Brandon groaned, causing her to bite her lip and tease him by leaving the others done.

Brandon's bottom lip dropped open as her hand slid down her stomach and into her shorts, the movement underneath them making his cock twitch. As her free hand squeezed her boob over her shirt, Brandon started working on himself under the sheets. Cara moaned as she watched his hand disappear, his eyes transfixed on what she was doing.

She lay back on the bed, her body parallel with the screen. Brandon swore and sped up his strokes as she arched her back. He would give anything to be in that bed with her right now, but he couldn't deny that watching her pleasure herself was way hotter than he could ever have imagined.

"God," Cara gasped, watching Brandon's movements under the sheet, "Is that really all you're gonna give me?"

"What do you want me to give you?" Brandon teased, grinning as Cara moaned, "I'll move the sheet if you take off the shorts."

"I wish I'd unpacked my vibrator."

Brandon giggled, "We can find it when I'm back."

Cara wiggled her eyebrows at him before slipping her shorts off and kicking them across the room. Brandon let out an involuntarily growl and pushed his sheets down, both of them moaning as their hands sped up.

"Fuck, Bray," Cara gasped, "I'm so close."

Brandon hummed as he watched her writhe against the sheets of their bed. Their bed. He couldn't believe he was going to get to wake up next to her almost every day as soon as he was back.

"You're so sexy," He grumbled as he listened to her whimper, "I am the luckiest guy alive."

Cara's movements became more jerky and Brandon smiled.

"There you go, baby..." His sentence faded out as Cara breathed out his name, her lower stomach clenching as she came undone.

Brandon followed quickly after, angling himself so that the jet of cum landed on the sheets and his stomach rather than the laptop.

When he looked back to the screen Cara was still on her back, her head tilted to watch him as they both caught their breath.


	30. You've Got A Lot Of Heart

Cara's POV

"Okay so that looks burnt..." Emeline grinned as Cara pulled a roast duck out of the oven, the smoke puffing around her. 

"FUCK!"

Cara placed the duck on the counter and waved her dish towel in the air, trying to disperse the smoke before the fire alarm went off. She wiped her hand across her brow dramatically and pouted at her laptop, where Em's sympathetic face was waiting.

"Emmm," She groaned, gesturing at the duck.

"Ok. Ok! What do you have in your cupboard?"

Cara opened the cupboard so her ex-roommate could take a look. She wasn't the best cook in the world, so she had drafted in reinforcements.

"Hmm, I'm gonna take you through how to make a really simple pasta sauce. You got some spaghetti in there, right? It's foolproof, I promise."

"Yeah. Ugh, thanks Em. I just wanted to do something special. This is gonna be our first night in our new home and I fucked it up--"

"Cara!" Em interrupted, "I think Brandon is gonna be happy to have you. The food is going to be secondary. Especially if your suspicions were right about his kink..."

Cara laughed as Em wiggled her eyebrows.

"I mean, that's barely a kink right? Everyone kind of likes that."

"If he likes it as much as you think he does, it's a kink."

The next hour was spent chatting with Emeline about her new job in a premier ski resort in Park City, and catching up on what she was missing in New York. She missed having her friends so close by. She had made a couple of new friends in work, and their neighbours seemed really nice, but Cara had to admit she was a little lonely in this enormous house by herself. As lucky as she felt, it was hard to enjoy everything on her own.

As the clock struck 8pm Cara and her ex-roommate said goodbye so Cara could get herself ready for Brandon's arrival. She covered the bowl of divine smelling sauce, which she would reheat when she cooked the pasta when he arrived. She wrapped the burnt duck in a plastic bag and threw it in the garbage. Perhaps that had been overambitious.

Cara showered and made sure the house looked as homely as a new and practically empty house could look, before slipping into a skintight dress she knew Brandon would love. She'd actually bought it for work, but knowing how much he enjoyed her work clothes, it would suit this occasion too. 

As she began reheating the sauce she heard his key in the door. 

"Baby?" He called out, appearing from the doorway a second later with a huge smile, "Oh my. I could get used to this."

She giggled as he looked her up and down. He looked sleepy, but happy. She couldn't stop herself from smiling back at him. Eventually, he closed the gap between them, humming as he pressed his body against her back and kissed her shoulder. 

"That smells amazing," He mumbled into her hair, kissing the back of her head and around to her cheek, "You're amazing."

Cara turned in his arms, smiling up at him as he tightened his grip on her. She kissed him slowly, her hands carding through his hair and down his neck. 

"I missed you so much, Bray."

"I missed you too. I'm home for a while now. I promise."

Cara buried her face in his sweater, nuzzling into his chest as she enjoyed his hands running up and down her back. After a second, she kissed his chest gently and turned around, giggling as he continued standing behind her when she turned her attention back to the stove. 

He squeezed her in his arms as she tried to lean to the right to grab the packet of spaghetti. 

"Brandon, we gotta eat!"

"Then can I have you on this counter?" He whispered, pulling her hips back against him as he kissed the nape of her neck.

His sexiness was undermined when his stomach let out a loud rumble. Cara snorted and turned to face him, cupping his face in her hands.

"Let's see where the night takes us," She winked, pecking a kiss to his lips before pointing in towards the table.

\--

Brandon's POV

God, he had missed her so much. He couldn't help but just stare at her lovingly as she told him about her new job, which she loved and had so many ideas for. She told him their neighbours wanted to have them over for dinner sometime and that his parents had called to bring her flowers and hear all about their plans for redecoration. 

His heart was bursting, he didn't think there was any way he could love her more. 

"Oh my god," She blushed as she set her fork down, "I'm talking way too much."

Brandon shook his head as he took his last mouthful of the delicious food she had made, "I could listen to you talk all night. I love hearing your plans to take over the world."

Cara rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. He giggled. But it was true. She took on this whole new energy when she talked about her job. She was the boss, and he was really into it. 

"I wanna hear all about London!" She leaned across the table, taking his hand and kissing his fingers lightly.

"And I want to tell you," Brandon smiled, "But right now, I wanna just enjoy being here, in our house, with you."

"You're such a romantic."

"I could be more descriptive about how I'd like to be with you?"

He smirked as she blushed, standing when she did and wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they wandered through the house, discussing colours they could paint the walls and furniture they could arrange in the rooms. They had talked about it when he bought the house, but this was the first time it was starting to feel real for him. He could tell she felt the same by the way she squeezed his side and smiled in approval of his ideas. 

It didn't take long for them to make their way upstairs, and he couldn't wipe the huge smile off his face as he flopped backwards onto their bed and Cara snuggled into his side. 

"I can't believe this is happening," He whispered.

"I know," Cara hoisted herself on top of him so she could look him in the eye, "Took us long enough, right?"

"Too long."

"But I'm glad we made it."

"Me too."

Cara smiled down at him as she brought their lips together. Brandon moaned into the kiss, his hands running down her body to grip her ass through the thin material of her dress. Their tiredness wasn't going to stop them from making the most of being back together. Cara's breath tickled his mouth as she laughed.

"And you were being so gentlemanly and romantic," She teased.

"I love your butt," Brandon smiled, "I've missed it too."

They went back to making out, until Cara pushed on his chest when he tried to unzip her dress. 

"Wait," She said breathlessly, "Can we... try something?"


	31. Why Don't The Moon Look Right?

Brandon's POV

Brandon crossed his legs at the ankles, watching as Cara slid off the bed and bent over a shopping bag in the corner by the enormous windows. He knew there was no one for miles in the direction the window faced (and the glass was one way), but he still made a mental note to invest in some curtains. He had seen enough movies to not make that mistake.

"Ok, I'm just working on a hunch with this," She giggled, "If you don't want to do it that's fine."

Brandon raised his eyebrow and hummed, half distracted by the curve of her butt in the dress, half intrigued by what she had in mind. 

"So..." She cocked her head to one side as she turned around and looked at him, "I think I'm reading correctly that you kind of enjoy me being in control..."

Brandon nodded, already excited by where this was going. 

"And I saw the crossfire video..."

"Oh..." Brandon smiled, his suspicions confirmed when she held up two red silk ties.

She looked at him questioningly, her face illuminated slightly by their bedside light. She looked incredible, her hair falling softly around her shoulders, her lips reddened from kissing him. Brandon slid off the bed and walked over to her, kissing her softly before drawing his lips down her neck and to her chest. His hands roamed all over her body.

Cara sighed in pleasure before letting out a half laugh when Brandon nipped the curve of her breast with his teeth, "Hey! Can I tie you up or not?"

Brandon giggled and stood up straight again, "I think I would like that. As long as I get to do it to you next time."

Cara nodded and unbuttoned his shirt slowly, kissing down his chest and stomach as she did so. Brandon hummed and ran his hands through her hair, whining a little when she stopped just below his belly button. 

"Patience," She smiled, pecking his lips and pulling his shirt off, before pushing him back towards the bed. 

Brandon got comfortable amongst the pillows, holding on to the bed frame as Cara began to wrap the ties around her own hand to create a hole. She smiled when she looked up at him, waiting.

"Eager?"

Brandon blushed, "Kinda."

Cara leant over the bed and kissed him, cradling his face in her hand. She smiled at him as she slid the tie around his wrist and tied it to the bed, squeezing his bicep comfortingly before reaching over to the other side.

"Is that too tight?"

Brandon wiggled his wrists as Cara walked to the end of the bed. He shook his head.

"Are you comfortable?"

Brandon nodded.

"Are you going to talk to me?"

He giggled and looked down at the way he was laid out for her.

"I'm scared my voice will come out as an excited squeak and ruin the moment."

Cara laughed and crawled onto the bed between his legs, settling on her knees with her hands on his thighs. He could feel his arms tense at her touch. This was going to be a struggle. He was already trying to reach for her. 

"You could never ruin the moment," She said softly, leaning up to kiss him. 

He wanted more than anything to hold her, to run his hands down her body, to rip the dress open and reunite them in the way they were both craving most at this moment. The headboard shook as his arms tensed. Cara broke their kiss and grinned at him.

"Huh, this is going to be hard for you."

Brandon licked his lips and looked down between them, his eyes lingering on her chest for longer than was strictly necessary before looking at the gap between his growing bulge and her body.

"Honey, it already is."

Cara laughed and started to kiss and nibble her way down his chest, flicking her tongue over his nipple enough to make him squirm. He was practically panting by the time she made it down to the top of his pants and unbuttoned them slowly, before kissing over the material covering his erection. 

The headboard shook again as Brandon wriggled impatiently. Cara rested her head on his hip bone as she traced patterns over his crotch.

"So how was London?"

He shuddered as she looked up at him innocently.

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

"It was--" He stuttered as her fingers circled over where his tip was covered by his pants, "Fuck-- I can't talk when you do that!"

Cara snickered and twirled her fingers through his happy trail instead.

"It was good. I think I found the right producer."

"That's awesome, babe."

"Yeah! And from now on I can just send him stuff and see him when he-- FUCK, Cara!"

\--

Cara's POV

Cara had to pull her mouth away from his tip to snicker at his way over-exaggerated reaction. She had taken advantage of him getting caught up in his thoughts as he stared at the ceiling to quickly tug the top of his pants down and take him into her mouth. 

"Wow you really are into this," She laughed as he raised his hips to let her pull his pants and briefs down his legs.

"Um, yeah! My super hot girlfriend tied me to our bed and now has my dick in her mouth!"

She laughed as he pouted, eventually breaking into a smile of his own. 

"Well in that case," She shrugged, bending over him again and sliding her mouth down his length as he made obscene noises above her head.

She bobbed her head and swirled her tongue around his tip until she tasted pre-cum, Brandon whined and swore when she pulled off him with a pop.

Cara kissed down his length and then back up, continuing along his stomach and chest and to his lips.

"You good?" She mumbled as he kissed her hungrily.

"I couldn't be better," He grinned.

Cara took him in her hand and he whimpered, "We'll see about that."

She began to stroke him slowly, watching as his face contorted in pleasure. After a few strokes he started bucking into her hand. He groaned when she took her hand away and started tracing lines on his body.

"You're gorgeous," She mused, "You know that, right?"

Brandon looked at her, his chest heaving. He pouted.

"Yes. Are you gonna let me come?"

Cara snickered and rolled off the bed. She grinned as Brandon let out a loud frustrated sigh as she began to unzip her dress.

"Oh my god," He groaned as she threw the dress onto the chair, revealing the white lacy underwear underneath. 

"What?" She teased.

The headboard rattled as Brandon forgot he was tied to the bed. He grumbled impatiently as he looked her up and down. 

"Cara, please," He said quietly as she spun around, enjoying his gaze on her.

"What do you want," She smiled, leaning over the bed to trace patterns on his stomach with her fingernails. He shivered under her touch. 

"Anything."

"Hmm, you'll have to be more specific than that," She mumbled, kissing his neck as she crawled back onto the bed beside him. 

"Fu--" He breathed as spat into her hand and began stroking him again, way too slowly for his liking.

"Just tell me what you want," She breathed against his neck, kissing his chest and stomach sloppily. She felt his eyes roam down her body as he thought.

"I want to see you--" He said suddenly, "Ride me."

Cara smiled and pecked his lips before swinging her leg over him and running her hands up his chest. Brandon let out a giggle.

"What?" She smiled as he blushed.

"Nothing. Just thinking about skype."

Cara raised her eyebrow.

"Is that weird?" Brandon frowned, "It was just really hot."

She smiled again and bent down to kiss him, before planting one hand on his stomach and slipping the other into her underwear. 

"What, this?"

Brandon's cock twitched against her thigh and he groaned, his eyes travelling from where she was working herself to her face, pleasure written across it unabashedly. 

"Holy shit," He grumbled, his arms tensing as she moaned, her fingers working swiftly and with familiarity. It was hypnotising. Her nails dug into his stomach and she gasped, her head falling forward.

"Oh fuck," She breathed and Brandon bucked his hips up. 

"Baby," He pleaded, rubbing himself against her inner thigh.

Cara tugged her panties to the side and gripped his length before sinking onto him. They both moaned, the headboard rattling as Brandon fought against his restraints. Cara read his meaning and began to move quickly on him, gasping as Brandon moved his hips in time. 

She planted her hands on his chest again as moonlight streamed into the room. Her movements becoming uneven as she neared her climax. 

"Oh my god, Brandon," She whined, looking in his eyes as she swivelled her hips on him.

Brandon's eyes fluttered shut as he enjoyed the sensation.

"Babe..." He breathed, "I'm--"

His sentence faded into a moan as she began moving her hips more purposefully, understanding what he meant without needing words. The sounds of their pleasure filled the room and they fell over the edge together. Cara saw stars and fell against Brandon, riding out their highs as best she could while Brandon's chest heaved. 

"Fuck, I love you," He laughed as they caught their breath. 

"I love you too," She smiled, holding herself up on her arms. She wasn't sure she would be able to use her legs for a while. 

Brandon reached up to kiss her, the headboard rattling as he struggled against it. Cara laughed.

"Can you untie me now?"

She looked at him thoughtfully and he rolled his eyes.

"You cannot leave me like this."

"I might."

She dragged herself off him and stood up, laughing at her own shaky legs. She looked at Brandon as she took a swig of water from a bottle on the bedside table before walking to the ensuite. She heard Brandon protest behind her.

"When I get out of these you are in so much trouble!"


	32. Your Feelings Are Your Own

Brandon's POV

Brandon winced as he bent down to set the hot drinks he had made on the coffee table and his shoulder twinged. Makeshift coffee table. It was an upturned cardboard box.

"Thanks honey," Cara called over her shoulder.

Brandon stuck his hands on his hips and looked up at his girlfriend. She was on her toes on the top of a ladder, painting the highest corner of their bedroom in the golden yellow he had chosen. The room looked exactly how he'd pictured it - warm and calming, with a glow that reminded him of the desert while being subdued enough to make the it feel peaceful.

His eyes wandered down her body, and she turned around just in time to see him staring at her ass.

"I'm starting to think you're faking your shoulder injury just so you can be a creep."

He giggled and wrapped his arms around her as she hopped back onto solid ground.

"This looks so good," He mumbled into her hair, "But are you sure you should be doing it?"

Cara pecked her lips to his forehead. He grinned at the stripe of yellow paint on her cheek. He didn't even know how it was possible to get that there accidentally.

"I am fine," She smiled. She had been ill for a couple of days, to the point where he had spent portions of his day stroking her back and holding her hair as she vomited. "Besides, it'll be so nice to come home to this after we go to Ron's!"

Brandon nodded. They were driving to Vegas in a couple of days for Ronnie's wedding. He was grateful Cara had been fine with them not flying, but he was starting to fear the long journey would be horrible for her if she wasn't feeling better. 

"I could call a decorator--"

"Bray, I've told you," She raised an eyebrow, "I enjoy this stuff. And you were enjoying it too."

That was true, he had been enjoying it until his shoulder started twinging again. Maybe he was feeling a little useless since she had had to take on the challenge alone. Or...

"What if you're--"

"Your imagination is out of control," Cara laughed, leaning on the ladder as she sipped her coffee, "It's going to take some patience, sweetheart."

"But you might be!"

"Please don't get your hopes up, it's way to early to tell."

She blushed as he smiled hopefully at her. 

"Do you just want to one-up Ronnie on his wedding day?" She teased.

"I'm not used to giving him the centre stage," Brandon laughed back.

\--

Cara's POV

Cara pulled her headphones out as she shut the front door with a click. She had run for over an hour, spending most of it exploring her new home. She called out Brandon's name and got a strange noise in reply. 

She walked into the living room and laughed. Brandon was stretched out on the sofa with his hand trailing on the floor. His mouth was wide open, loud snores coming from it.

"Oh my god," She shook her head. She couldn't believe she was in love with him.

She had left him unpacking his clothes to fill the walk-in-wardrobe in their room. Judging by the number of boxes still lying around, he hadn't gotten to do much before crashing. 

Cara jogged up the stairs and into their bathroom, tugging her sweaty clothes over her head before taking a quick shower. Her mind quickly drifted to bigger topics as she dried her body. 

She hadn't been using birth control for a month now and they had stopped using protection. And now she was feeling ill almost every morning. But what she had said to Brandon was surely true, it was way too soon, right? For most people it took a while. They needed to be patient.

Cara rifled through the small rucksack she brought with her when she went for a run. She pulled out the pregnancy test she had picked up in town and sat on the edge of their bath. Test most effective at least seven days after a missed period. She did the math in her head. It had been twelve days. 

"Babe?" Brandon's voice from the other side of the door shook her out of her dizzying thoughts, "You home?"

She shoved the test into the pocket of a dressing gown hanging on the wall and tightened her towel around her chest.

"Yeah, sleepyhead," She smiled as she walked into the hallway, "I'm here."

"How was your run?" 

"Good! Really beats running through the dirty streets of New York. I can actually breathe in the air here."

Brandon nodded and looked out of the window at the rolling hills that snaked towards the nearest town. He hummed happily as she snuggled into his side.

"How do you feel?" He asked quietly, stroking her wet hair between his fingers. She knew he wanted her to take a test. But she didn't want him to be upset if it wasn't the result they wanted.

"I'm fine," She smiled up at him

He smiled back. And in that moment she made a decision. If she was pregnant she could find that out when they got back from Vegas. If she wasn't - there was no need to find that out now.


	33. We've Got The Radio On

Cara's POV

Cara relaxed back in her seat as she finished her pizza. She smiled as Ronnie's fiancé, Fliss, told a funny story from her bachelorette party. She and Brandon had arrived earlier in the day and had since been on the go non-stop, helping the couple with last minute wedding arrangements for the ceremony the next day. 

That included entertaining the other guests around the table. There were 12 of them in total. Ronnie and Fliss's siblings, as well as some old friends that Cara had recognised from way back in the early days of the band. Everyone wanted to be helpful, but few people were anything more than in the way. Fliss had pulled Cara to the side and begged for her help in diverting her nosy sister's attention for the day, and since then, Cara and Brandon had been babysitting. 

Brandon's hand climbed higher on her leg under the table and Cara shifted in her seat, shooting him a warning look. He smiled and took a sip of his drink. It had been like this all day, except they hadn't had a moment alone to make the most of it. 

"Ronnie that pizza was--" Cara cut off with a gasp as Brandon's pinky finger brushed her panties under her skirt, "Um, you're a hell of a chef!"

As Ronnie mock bowed and attention around the table diverted to him, Cara grabbed Brandon's arm and interlocked their fingers. 

"That's a dangerous game," She mumbled against his ear, kissing his cheek lightly.

"Mhm," Brandon smiled. 

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I need to catch some shut-eye," Ronnie yawned, wrapping his arm around Fliss, who also looked exhausted.

"No!" Fliss's sister, Jemima, piped up, "It's so early! Let's at least watch a movie or something."

"Yeah, Ron," One of the guys Cara hadn't known joined in, "When did you become a bore?"

Cara squeezed Brandon's hand in hers. He sighed and leaned forward.

"Alright, alright," He caught Ronnie's eye, "How about we put on something fun then people can go to bed when they get tired?"

Ronnie shot him a thank you as guests agreed and started to move into the spacious living room. Cara and Brandon stayed in the kitchen with their friends, helping load the dishwasher and clear the place up in preparation for tomorrow. 

"Ugh, you guys are lifesavers," Fliss wrapped her arms around each of them in turn, "I don't wanna end up in prison for murdering my sister the day before my wedding."

Ronnie rubbed his eyes, "It's like they've forgotten that this is a day of festivity for them and administrative nightmares for us."

Cara and Brandon laughed as the couple cuddled against each other. They could not look happier despite how hectic the day had been. 

Brandon kissed Cara's head gently as they turned back to the noise coming from the living room. 

"Hey, at least parenting can't be as hard as this, huh?" Brandon giggled as they watched two of Ronnie's old friends attack each other with cushions.

"Maybe we should just get a dog."

\--

Brandon's POV

Brandon looked down at Cara as she shuffled against his side. She was getting restless. He couldn't blame her - letting Fliss's boyfriend choose the movie had been a mistake. Of the 9 of them left in the room, 2 were snoring and 2 were on their phones. Cara and he were right at the back of the room, cuddled together on a large beanbag. It had been the only seat left. 

And it felt like the most privacy they'd had all day - well out of eyeshot and earshot of the others. 

"You ok baby?" Brandon mumbled, kissing along her jaw as she adjusted her position to be alongside him instead of lying against his chest. 

"So bored," Cara laughed, "But I'm scared if we leave they'll disturb the happy couple upstairs."

Brandon nodded. He'd turned up the volume when he'd heard some x-rated noises coming from the floor above them. Clearly sleep had been able to wait. 

He smiled as Cara turned his face towards her, her warm breath tickling his chin as she kissed around his mouth before biting his lip gently. He groaned slightly under her touch. 

"Stop," He whispered, giggling as she frowned at him, "They might hear us."

"So?" Cara smirked at him, "Anything we do here is going to be a better show than what's on the screen."

Brandon laughed before starting to make out with her again. His hand skimmed her upper thigh and she squeezed his arm again, her thigh pressing against his semi under the blanket that covered their bodies. 

"Wanna finish what you started earlier?" She smirked.

Brandon pulled away from her and examined her face with a raised eyebrow. Cara bit her lip and pushed his hand down from her stomach to between her legs. So she was seriously. His heart fluttered as he remembered they weren't alone. 

"I--"

Cara cut him off by pushing his fingers against herself and moaning quietly in his ear. He lost any remaining self control he had. 

Cara smiled and opened her legs as Brandon ruffled the blankets over them in case anyone should turn around. Her small hands wrapped around his arm and her mouth rested against his shoulder. As soon as he started massaging her through her panties she bit him.

Brandon let out an involuntary moan, quickly realising it was a little loud for the room and disguising it under a cough. Cara snickered against his ear. Neither of them had expected his moans to be the problem with this. 

He breathed out through his teeth as his hand slipped into her underwear and he felt how wet she was. Glancing at her through the corner of his eye as his fingers moved slowly and teasingly, he saw her eyes squeezed shut. Her teeth were still attached to his shoulder. 

Brandon waited until an car chase in the movie started, the volume increasing and the remaining conscious people enthralled by the action. He thrust two fingers into her without warning. Cara squeaked and bit his shoulder harder, sending chills through him. 

He started moving his fingers quickly, the bobbing of the blanket way too unsubtle if anyone were to turn around. He wasn't planning on this lasting long enough for anyone to do that. When Cara whined against his shoulder he began to rub his thumb harshly against her clit. 

"Fuck..." She breathed, her head knocking the wall behind them as her hands tightened on his arm.

Her legs started to shake as his fingers curled, finding just the right spot to tip her over the edge. She bit him hard again as she came around his fingers, her body jolting with the strain of keeping quiet. 

Brandon continued to move his fingers slowly until she tugged on his arm. He looked at her as she breathed heavily against his neck, her face happily sedated. She laughed and kissed his neck as he removed his hand from her underwear, bringing his fingers to his mouth and licking and sucking them clean. Cara groaned.

"Fuck, you're so sexy."

Brandon smiled and pecked a kiss to her forehead. He whined as she gripped his hard-on through his jeans.

"How much longer is there on this movie?"


	34. I've Been Watching You All Night

Cara's POV

Cara snuggled into Brandon's side with a sigh and smiled as his arm instinctively wrapped around her shoulders. 

"I'm so tired," She mumbled against his shirt, making him wriggle with the tickling sensation. 

"Me too."

He nudged her arm and pointed in the direction of Mr and Mrs Vannucci. Fliss was gently stroking Ronnie's hair as he snored beside her, his head resting on her chest. She looked about ready to fall asleep too.

"Weddings are exhausting for everyone," Cara snickered and Brandon hummed in agreement, "Should we get them out of here?"

"There is no way we can get them out of here."

"Not with that attitude, Flo."

Cara ruffled his hair as she stood up, making her way over to the happy couple. Fliss jolted but broke into a smile when she saw who was approaching.

"Thank god," She laughed, "I thought it was another drunk relative coming to try to get us back on the dancefloor."

"Yeah, we figured you could use some help..."

"Escaping," Brandon finished Cara's sentence, sliding his hand up her back as he appeared behind her, "Apparently we're your TAC team."

"You're my heroes," Fliss replied, fluffing the skirt of her long ballgown out from around her legs so she could stand up without tripping.

Brandon flicked Ronnie's nose and the drummer jumped in his seat. 

"Is it our first anniversary yet?" He grumbled rubbing his eyes.

"Makes you wonder why weddings are a thing, right?" Fliss gratefully accepted Cara's arm to help her stand. 

"Shut up you two," Brandon rolled his eyes, "You had a great time."

Ronnie wrapped his arms around his wife and they shared a smile. "We sure did."

"Magical," Fliss agreed, kissing his cheek, "But how the hell do we get out of here without being swarmed?"

Cara beckoned the group to follow her. She led them through a side door and down a quiet corridor of the hotel that was hosting the reception. They slipped inside a room that Cara unlocked.

"You are an actual angel sent from the heavens," Fliss gasped. One of Fliss's loose, simple dresses lay on the bed, a warm jacket beside it. And on the desk chair, a pair of Ronnie's jeans and a sweater. A pair of sneakers each sat by the bed.

"Can't say I disagree," Brandon chuckled, kissing the top of Cara's head. It had been her idea to throw together a small bag of the happy couple's things. She'd hosted enough weddings at her hotel in New York to know what newlyweds really wanted. 

Ronnie and Fliss had decided to avoid the awkward breakfast with assorted guests the day following the wedding. Instead, they had booked the bridal suite in a different hotel entirely. Of course, none of the other guests knew this. Therefore, a quick and easy getaway. Brandon and Cara were staying in the hotel they were in now to cover for them.

"Take your time, guys," Cara said from the doorway, "There's a fire exit at the end of this corridor. It isn't alarmed. There's a car waiting outside and the driver has already been paid. You can leave your dress and everything here, I'll come and get it in the morning and drop it off at your house."

"I still have a spare key," Brandon smiled and waved as they closed the door behind them, "Congratulations, you two."

\--

Brandon's POV

Brandon smiled at the silhouette of his girlfriend against the light radiating through the floor to ceiling window. He was lying back against the bed in the darkness of their room watching her undress. Cara snorted as she caught him staring and threw her bra at him. 

"It's so hot in here," Cara groaned, pulling her hair off her neck and tying it in a bun on the top of her head. Brandon barely heard her, watching the way her chest moved as she put her arms above her head. "Hey!" 

"Come here," He mumbled, holding his arm out.

"Let me put a shirt on."

"No! You said it was too hot, come cool down."

Cara laughed as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bed beside him. He hummed happily as her body pressed against his side, his fingers straying restlessly over her body. 

"Wanna watch a movie?" Cara asked, kissing over his shirt. 

"Yeah. I'll crack open that champagne." He sat up, sliding off the bed and moving to the ice bucket on the small coffee table. 

"Um," Cara said quickly, slight panic in her chest, "I'm good. You can go ahead though."

Brandon laughed and popped the cork, pouring out two glasses. "I've never known you to say no to champagne."

Cara shrugged noncommittally. "This hotel only seems to have Adam Sandler movies."

Brandon put his hand on his hip and looked at her. She was staring at the TV, the neon glow reflecting back on her skin with an eerie blue glow. Her legs were crossed in front of her and her free hand picked nervously at the top of her stocking.

"Cara, honey," He said slowly, "You ok?"

"I'm fine!" 

Ok, so that was an overenthusiastic response. Brandon felt panic rise in his chest. He set his glass down and kneeled on the ground in front of her, placing his hands on her knees. 

"Baby, look at me." He waited a couple of seconds until her eyes met his. She was scared. She never could hide her feelings very well. "Please tell me what's wrong, I'm starting to worry."

"Nothing is wrong, Brandon."

She looked at him for a few seconds before grabbing his collar and pulling him up to the bed. He sat beside her, crossing his own legs in front of him. Cara turned so their knees were touching. 

"This is very Sixteen Candles," She whispered with a smile. Brandon giggled and took her hand, tracing her veins with his thumb. His anxiety was still sky high, but seeing her smile made him relax a little. 

Cara's eyes flitted between his eyes and their hands. She took a deep breath. 

"Ok, I'll just come out and say it."

"Whatever it is, we'll be ok," Brandon frowned as he noticed the slight shake in her hand. A million awful thoughts were running through his head. Was she about to break up with him? It would be weird to do that half-naked, right? Maybe this wasn't working out and she missed New York. How would they cope with that?

"I can see your brain cogs turning," Cara leant in and pecked a kiss to his lips, "Stop. It's... big, but it's ok."

Brandon's frown deepened. 

"I'm pregnant, Bray. We're gonna have a baby."


	35. 2017

Cara's POV

Cara tapped her foot against the chair in front of her as she watched The Killers warm up on stage, messing around with various covers and testing out the harmonies on the new songs. The Wonderful Wonderful era was beginning, and it was sounding sweet. She smiled. This felt like the first bit of freedom they had had in a long time - despite the fact she was in the stands of a stadium while he was on stage.

"Uh, baby?" 

She raised her chin at Brandon as he giggled into his mic at this strange private but very public exchange.

"Hey! Wanna get lunch?" He smiled.

She gave him a thumbs up and gathered her bag and coat before wriggling out of the aisle. She turned as she heard knocking on the mic.

"Any pretty ladies wanna take me out for lunch?" Ronnie raised his eyebrows at the empty room, "No? Alright. That's fine, I guess."

Cara laughed and blew him a kiss. She knew within thirty seconds of leaving his drumkit he would be facetiming Fliss. He was the definition of smitten. 

Brandon grinned at her as they crossed paths in the corridor connected the stage to the dressing rooms. He tugged his hoodie over his head before leaning down to kiss her softly.

"Hey handsome," She smiled, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb, "Hungry?"

"I feel frail," He pouted, taking her hand as they made their way through the maze of corridors to the exit, "I may pass out if I don't get a steak like, right now."

"I told you to eat breakfast."

"Mhmm," Brandon smirked, "Motherly instincts suit you."

Cara rolled her eyes and slapped his chest. They exchanged a look that needed no words to clarify its meaning.

"Yeah, me too," He giggled, "We're supposed to enjoy this time alone, right?"

"We are enjoying this," Cara sighed, "But... We have to see their little faces."

Brandon nodded enthusiastically and dug out his phone. Cara's heart soared at the thought he had half of his mind always focused on them too. They stopped on their course to find a restaurant and perched on the steps leading to what looked like apartments. He hit dial on his brother's number.

"Hey strangers!" Shane laughed, "It's been what, two hours since you texted me bro. They're fine. I do know what I'm doing."

Cara waved at him, "Yeah we're gonna need proof."

Shane rolled his eyes and bit his tongue as he flipped the view to the rear camera. Cara thanked the stars that he was better with technology than his brother. Brandon let out a laugh as their son toddled into the camera and knocked the phone to the floor.

"Oops!" Shane snickered, "That's on me, I forgot you two created Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson part 2."

"Hey baby!!!" Brandon smiled as Adam smiled a big cheesy grin at them. He was the spitting image of Brandon. Big warm eyes and pudgy cheeks.

"Mumma!" Adam clapped his hands and reached for the phone, which Shane reacted to with more speed this time.

Brandon flapped his free hand in the air in mock indignation and Cara kissed his shoulder. Adam always called for mumma, regardless of which of them he was talking to. 

"Hello sweetheart!" Cara blew kisses at him, "Are you having a good time with Uncle Shay?"

Adam nodded enthusiastically and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"That's good baby. Where's your sister?" 

"Asleep! Asleep! Asleep!" Adam chanted, in time with pounding his tiny fists on the edge of Shane's couch. 

Brandon let out a yuk-yuk laugh. When Cara was pregnant, he had joked that there was definitely a drummer in her womb. She had groaned and said they'd have to get them a better drumkit than her bladder. 

They both cooed as Shane brought the camera to the corner of the room, where Adam's twin sister Maddie was snoring peacefully, curled up in the bed for Shane's dog, Button. 

"Oh my god," Cara laughed as Shane turned the camera to Button, who was looking troubled at the loss of his bed, "Sorry Button!"

\--

Brandon's POV

Brandon sighed pleasantly as Cara straddled his hips. He had collapsed onto their hotel bed as soon as she had unlocked the door. Performing again had been awesome, but he wasn't getting any younger.

"I need to go back to the gym."

Cara laughed and squeezed one of his biceps. "You go every day."

"So why the hell am I so tired?"

"Oh I don't know," She hummed, her hands on his arms and her thighs around his waist keeping him still as she began to trail her mouth along his neck, "Maybe because for a year and a bit we haven't had a full night sleep because for some reason our bodies thought twins were a good idea?"

Brandon giggled as she rubbed their noses together. "Fair point."

He shut his eyes as she continued kissing his face, neck, and shoulders, tugging the zip up hoodie down enough to find the skin only slightly covered by his white tank top. His hands drifted to her hair and he pulled her back up to his lips, kissing her gently. 

"It's nice to have more than five minutes in the morning when they're distracted by cartoons," He smiled up at her. 

Cara laughed and rolled off him so they were lying side by side. "I'm constantly on edge waiting for the little voice asking us why we're allowed to jump on the bed and they're not." 

That had been an awkward morning. Especially when Maddie decided to tell Uncle Ronnie about the packet of 'balloons' on the bedside table. They may never live it down.

They lay peacefully together for a while, Brandon's hands gently skimming Cara's body while she massaged his scalp and pressed herself against him. The hum of noise in the background from the streets below and other guests in the hotel faded to the back of their minds. 

"You were great tonight," Cara whispered. 

"Thanks. It felt good."

"For some reason they seemed to like you making them call you The Man."

Brandon snickered and grabbed her hips, pulling her back on top of him. "What do you mean 'for some reason'?"

Cara raised one eyebrow and put on her best Brandon imitation. "Who's the man?"

Brandon rolled them over until he was between her legs, grinding gently against her and smiling as her eyes fluttered shut. 

"Who's the man?"

Cara groaned, "I'm not gonna say it."

He held her wrists against the bed and began to kiss down her chest, nipping his teeth along the edge of her shirt. "Who's the man?"

"You're a father. Have some self respect."

"Who's the man?" He breathed against her neck as her legs wrapped around his waist and her body shuddered beneath him. 

"I won't..."

Brandon's hand slid down her stomach and drifted over her panties. "Who--"

"You're the man!" Cara laughed, "Oh my god!" 

Brandon grinned and pecked his lips to hers. This should be a night for both of them to catch up on sleep. But sleep wasn't on either of their minds. 

"You're such a dummy," Cara mumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I love you."

"Love you too, darling."


End file.
